Beacon of Justice
by ccheng1234
Summary: After losing everything that she once loved, a new hero finds herself in a new universe. How will she help the Justice League in their fight against evil? And how will the League help her overcome what she had lost? OC , femslash. [Based on The Invisible Muffin's story "Ben 10: unlimited"]
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: While I would take credit of the Original Characters. I do not own anything from DC or Danny Phantom. I would be a very happy person if did, but unfortunately that's not the case. Now without further ado, let's get on with it.**

Beacon of Justice

Chapter 1

The skies were gray, dark clouds were fast approaching. Flashes of lightning and sounds of thunder could be seen and heard from every direction. It didn't matter though, nothing seemed to matter anymore. The only thing that existed at the moment was pain, the pain of suffering… and loss.

She was on her knees in the middle of a field, white rubble both large and small were scattered everywhere as far as the eye can see. She hung her head as the tears flowed endlessly from her eyes as she stared at the bright green puddle of liquid in front of her.

"No, no," was all that escaped her lips as she continued to cry. Why did this happen? Why wasn't she faster? If she had only been faster and stronger, he would still be here with her… They would all be.

The clouds loom ever closer; the sounds of thunder were getting louder. Rain began to fall into the field. Making small ripples appear in the puddle of liquid. She took her eyes off the puddle and looked at her hands. Her left hand was clutching a plain piece of white cloth. Her right hand was empty, but it was stained with the same green liquid that was in the puddle in front of her.

She clenched her hands tightly as she squeezed her eyes shut. Her body shaking uncontrollably as she made a small whimper. She had lost everything, she couldn't even understand it. It wasn't fair! Unable to hold it in any longer, she jerked her head upwards and screamed. It was a scream fill with absolute rage and agony. The rain that fell on her face mixed with her tears and flowed down towards the ground. She hung her head again as she finished screaming, her eyes still shut, listening to the pattering of the rain as it bounce off every surface. The thunder was still getting louder, and bright flashes appeared beneath her eyelids. _Yes _she thought as the thunder and lightning continued at a faster frequency, _yes hit me please. Everything would be over. The pain will stop, and I get to see them again._ The sounds and flashes were getting louder and brighter, she tilted her head upwards again, with arms spread out in acceptance, waiting for the impending oblivion. _Robin, Jonah, Mom, Dad, A-Ariella, I'll be with you soon. _She remained motionless as she saw a blinding white light, and felt a jolt course through her entire body. Then darkness consumed everything.

* * *

**The City of Metropolis**

She took a large breath. Instantly she knew she wasn't dead, the dead don't need to breathe, and they wouldn't able feel their heart pounding violently in their chest. Why was she alive? Better yet, why was she denied what she wanted the most? She slowly pulled herself from the ground and surveyed her surroundings. She appeared to be in an alley between two buildings. Odd, considering she was just in an open field laden with rocks everywhere. She couldn't understand how she ended up in a place filled with large skyscrapers.

"Perfect, just perfect," she mumbled sarcastically, "I asked for death, and I end up in a dark alley of all places." She tucked her chin into her hand, trying to make sense of her situation. Until she heard footsteps approaching fast behind her, she turned around to see what was coming her way and blinked confusingly. There were two muscular men standing in front of her holding spears in their hands. What caught her attention though, were the large pair of bird wings that protruded from the men's backs.

"Stop right there human," one man barked, "Show us your identification, or face the consequences." She grimaced and looked up and down at the pair. She was still trying to figure out what happened to her.

"Show us your identification, human!" the other man ordered impatiently, "We won't ask again." Anger was threatening to boil out of her, but she just sighed, she knew that in order to find out where she was, she needed to get out of here. Complying with their demands wouldn't work, and running wasn't an option either. This meant only one thing.

"Sorry, but I'm not in the mood." She finally replied. The two men looked at each other in confusion. The next thing they heard was a _whoosh _and the two men were sent flying out of the alley, landing unconscious on the other side of the street. She looked up at the night sky and saw a spacecraft floating in the air. _Huh, never even noticed it until now _she narrowed her eyes as surveyed the ship. _Those fighters are in a defensive formation around that ship, there could be something on it that can help me. _She made her decision; after tying the piece of cloth on her left leg, she bent down slightly and sprung off the ground, flying towards the spacecraft at breakneck speeds.

* * *

**Thanagarian Prison Ship **

Separated in holding cells were six members of the Justice League, some of Earth's mightiest heroes. They were defeated because one of their own, Sheyera Hol, formerly known as Hawkgirl, betrayed them and gave their weaknesses to the Thanagarians. Lying in a cell surrounded by red sun radiation was Superman, the Man of Steel. In another prison cell was Wonder Woman, the Amazon Princess of Themyscira, she was tied to a metal pillar by her own indestructible Lasso of Truth. Next to her cell, the Fastest Man Alive, aka the Flash, was being held to the ground by the increased gravity in his cell. Across from Flash in another cell was J'onn J'ozz, known to the world as the Martian Manhunter, bound with metals he couldn't phase through with his intangibility. The last two cells in the holding chamber held Batman, Gotham city's Dark Knight and the World's Greatest Detective. The other held John Stewart, also known as The Green Lantern. He was sitting curl up in a ball. His face contorted with anger and shame. The Lantern didn't have his ring, therefore he was powerless. Batman was simply handcuffed and wasn't considered much of a threat. All six Leaguers were dead silent in their respective holding cells, the sense of defeat and failure hanging over them.

The silence ended when the Thanagarian guard patrolling the chamber grunted and fell over unconscious. The Leaguers all tried to see what happen but only saw the knocked-out guard.

"Okay," the Lantern said slowly, "What just happened?" Wonder Woman continued to look in confusion when the barrier in her holding cell vanished, and then suddenly something phased into view directly in front of her. She gasped loudly at the surprise.

"Wonder Woman!" the Manhunter yelled in concern.

"Hey what's going on in there?" The Flash questioned. Wonder Woman didn't respond to her teammates, she just stared in awe at the person in front of her. Standing before Diana was a teenage human looking girl with long straight snow-white hair that ended below her shoulder blades. She was wearing a white jumper jacket with the sleeve ending at the middle of her biceps. There were blue lines along the edges of the jacket. Underneath her jacket, the girl wore a blue compression shirt the sleeves ending just before it hits her elbows. On her hands were tight-fitting black gloves that went a few inches past her wrists. She wore a short black skirt with white vertical line on one side. Beneath her skirt was a pair of navy blue compression shorts. Lastly she wore black knee-high boots with short wedged heels; a piece of white cloth was wrapped around the top of her left knee. The girl had stunning sky blue eyes and…and a thin vertical scar running down her left eye.

"Based on everything I've seen so far," the girl began in a soft calming voice, "Those bird-men are the enemy. Am I right?"

"Y-yes, we're the Justice League; we protect the earth and her people," Wonder Woman finally spoke up. The white-haired girl blinked for a moment. _What's the Justice League? I'm on Earth? The heck is going on here? _She shook of her thoughts after she realized those are questions for later. She simply nodded at the older woman and grabbed the lasso as she knelt down. The second later, lasso turned from gold to see-through, light was passing through it as if it wasn't even there. The girl stood up, yanking the lasso as she did so. In one swift motion, the bonds that held Wonder Woman phased out of her and the pillar. She looked down at amazement until she saw the girl extend a hand.

Smiling, Diana accepted it, allowing the girl to pull her to her feet. The young girl handed her lasso back to her, and Wonder Woman reattached it to her hip. The girl couldn't help but notice that all the Amazon wore was a red, white, and blue leotard, a pair of high-heeled boots, a silver tiara, and two silver bracelets. She also noticed how well-built the Amazon was. In short the princess was perfect mix of brawn and beauty.

"Thank you," Diana said, "I'm Wonder Woman, what's your name?"

The white-haired girl opened her mouth slightly before she furrowed her eyebrows and jerked her head behind her. A split second later, the chamber door opened and a squad of Thanagarian soldiers rushed inside. "Hurry, get your friends out, I'll handle them," she hurried out of the cell and met the soldiers head on; she punched and kicked all of them with blinding speed. She was blocking every attack with complete ease. As the number of unconscious Thanagarians steadily rose, Diana freed her captive teammates.

"Who's your new friend?" asked the Flash, shaking his arms to regain sensitivity. Wonder Woman merely shook her head as she continued to free the remaining Leaguers.

"I know about as much as you do."

With the rest the league free, they rushed in to help the one that came to their rescue. During the fight, the white-haired girl noticed that four of the Leaguers seemed to have superpowers. The Flash ran through the Thanagarian soldiers with his awesome speed. Wonder Woman had the ability to fly and processed super strength. The one call Superman had all of that and was able to emit laser beams from his eyes, and Martian Manhunter had super strength, and was able to become intangible, similar to her. When the Martian becomes intangible, he blended slightly with his surroundings. When she becomes intangible, she blended perfectly with her surroundings. She also noticed that even though neither Batman nor Green Lantern had powers, both were still extremely effective in combat.

The fight turned quickly into just a no-nonsense beating. As the heroes finished off the remaining Thanagarians, they were surprised by another group of soldiers fast approaching from behind. Wonder Woman was the first to react, deflecting the shots of energy that came from the soldier's spears. Things were going smoothly until the girl noticed a rather large Thanagarian packing an even larger cannon. Of which the barrel was slowly getting brighter as it prepared to fire its shot.

The white-haired girl widened her eyes. "Look out!" she shouted as the cannon fired a huge blast of energy towards the heroes. The young girl blurred in front of Diana and the other heroes. There was an explosion followed by a thick layer of smoke. The Thanagarian soldier that fired the cannon expressed a smirk, however as the smoke cleared his expression quickly changed to complete shock. The heroes, instead of being incapacitated, were standing completely unharmed. Their eyes fixed on the girl in front of them, and the large flat blue disk of swirling energy that emitted from her raised right arm.

"Nice try," the girl remarked with furrowed brows as the disk shrank and eventually disappeared, but she kept her arm raised, "Now it's my turn," a small bright blue sphere appeared in front of her palm. A millisecond later, an energy beam zoomed towards the Thanagarian soldiers; hitting the wall directly behind them. The blast blew a giant hole through the ship, and knocked the squad of Thanagarians unconscious. The young girl turn back to the League "Alright, there's our exit. Those that can fly should carry those that can't!"

Superman flew out of the ship first carry Batman, the Manhunter followed suit, carrying Green Lantern. Wonder Woman grabbed Flash and flew out after them. She looked back as she continued to fly away from the prison ship. Sure enough the white-haired girl was flying right behind them. She saw Wonder Woman looking back and gave her a small smile and a thumbs-up. The Amazon returned the smile and nodded before turn her head back to the front.

Flash glance upwards at the woman holding him. "Y'know, whoever she is, I'm just glad she's on our side."

* * *

**The Streets of Metropolis**

The Justice League and their new ally have found refuge in a department store. As the Leaguers took a moment to catch their breath, the young girl phased through the ceiling to survey the surrounding area, leaving the League alone. Green Lantern took this chance and asked Superman.

"That x-ray vision working yet?"

Superman looked up at the ceiling. "There are Thanagarians everywhere within a two-block radius."

"Hey, maybe 'Invisi-girl' could go all ninja again and knock all of them out for us." Flash putting his two cents in.

Ignoring the speedster's comments, Superman turned to Diana and J'onn. "Were either of you able to get a read on her? Was anything that suggests that she really is here to help us?"

The Martian shook his head. "Her mental barriers were too strong for me to break through." The rest of the league widened their eyes, apparently not only was their rescuer powerful physically, but mentally as well.

"I sensed…" Diana began, arms crossed deep in thought. The other heroes turned their heads to the Amazon, anxiously waiting for her next words, "…Pain, anger, sorrow, and loneliness. Something terrible must've happened to her, and by the looks of it, it happened only recently." The rest of the League fell silent as they each thought about what Diana had said. Then Flash look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Wait, this isn't one of those women understanding women things, is it?" The other heroes groaned loudly as they face-palmed themselves and shook their heads. Diana simply rolled her eyes.

"I was blessed by the Gods with many gifts before I left Themyscira," the Amazon answered, "and one of those gifts is the ability to read emotions." the Flash confusingly at Diana for a few seconds, thinking of a way to recover from his mistake.

"Uh, I knew that." Diana rolled her eyes again. Another silent moment passed, and then the white-haired girl returned, phasing through the ceiling and landing softly on the ground.

"There're patrols everywhere as far as I could see," said the girl coolly, "and even more beyond my line of sight." The Leaguers' expressions turn grim at the bad news. If they were going to get out of Metropolis without attracting the Thanagarians, they needed to come up with a plan fast.

"Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and they'll all go home," Flash joked. Everyone looked at him questioningly, "c'mon you guys, a little optimism wouldn't hurt at a time like-"

Before the speedster could finish, a voice coming out of a loud speaker boomed overhead from outside.

"_THIS IS THE VOICE OF THE THANAGARIAN OCCUPATIONAL AUTHORITY. THE JUSTICE LEAGUE ARE ESCAPED PRISONERS AND VIOLATORS OF OUR MARTIAL LAW. THEY ARE TO BE CONSIDERED AN ENEMY, AND DEALT WITH ON SIGHT. ANY PERSON OR PERSONS FOUND AIDING OR HARBORING THEM… WILL BE SUMMARILY _**PUNISHED**_**.**__"_

_Thanagarian, so that's what they are _the girl thought as she turned to look at the Fastest Man Alive, "So much for optimism huh?"

The Flash hunched his shoulders in defeat. "Yeah, something like that."

"For the time being we're going to have to go underground." Batman spoke with absolute authority.

"How exactly do we hide when the entire planet is looking for us?" asked Wonder Woman. The League fell silent again, each member desperately thinking of an idea. The white-haired girl looked around the building, when a thought struck her.

"Well, we are in a store," the others looked at her, "maybe all we need to do is to hide in plain sight."

"She is right." J'onn agreed. The other Leaguers turned to their friend as he held the sleeve of a coat nearby. "They're looking for the Justice League. But without out costumes, we are merely ordinary citizens." J'onn shapeshifted as he spoke, turning into a human man wearing a brown trench coat.

"Whoa, hold on a second here!" The Flash blurted out. "What about the whole secret identity thing? I mean, I trust you guys, but what about her?"

Flash jerked his head towards the young girl. The latter narrowed her eyes and glared at the speedster.

"_Yes. _By all means _don't _trust the person that sprung you and your team out of prison, and saved your lives." said the girl with clear sarcasm. She was starting to grow impatient; she had questions that needed answering. Instead she was running for her life with a group of people who look like they would fit in perfectly in a comic-book convention.

"Whoa, hey, there's no need to get aggressive." replied the Flash as he backed away, holding his hands up in peace.

The white-haired girl took a deep breath. "Listen, I'll do my part to help you get rid of those…Thanagarians. But afterwards I-"

Her voice trailed off as her eyes looked downwards; she was at a loss at what to say. The League continued to look at her as the girl took another breath. "I don't know, after everything I've been through. I-I don't even know what I'm supposed to do anymore." She straightened her posture as turned her eyes back towards the heroes. "But I do know how to improve this secret identity issue …"

As she finished, a bright blue horizontal ring appeared around her midsection, illuminating the department store in a low bluish hue. The ring split off into two and started to move in opposite directions, one traveling up her body while the other traveled down. As the rings moved along the girl's body, her form began to change. When the rings reached above her head and below her feet respectively, the bright rings disappeared, refilling the store in semi-darkness. The white-haired girl was replaced by a different girl who looked exactly like her except she now had light brown hair, and emerald-green eyes. However the scar was still there over her eye. She now wore a faded purple T-shirt with a white long-sleeved undershirt underneath, bright blue jeans, and grey tennis shoes.

"My name's Rachel," the girl told the League emotionlessly, "Rachel Robertson."

Every Leaguer stared in completely shock.

Flash shook his head as if to clear it. "Um Okay, what did you just do?"

Rachel put a hand on her chest. "This is my human form, what you saw earlier was my ghost form."

"Your _ghost _form?" repeated Wonder Woman.

"I know it's confusing, but I can explain everything later." Rachel assured the League.

"I don't believe it," Lantern clapped a hand to his forehead, "first Earth gets invaded by an army of bird-people, and then a _ghost kid_ shows up to bust us out of prison. Can this day get any weirder?"

Rachel crossed her arms as she glared at the man. "Wow, mister. You _really _know how to make a girl feel good about herself." Flash snickered as covered his mouth with his hand. Wonder Woman just smile warmly at the girl.

"Uh, sorry I didn't mean-"

"It doesn't matter," Rachel interrupted, uncrossing her arms, "We need to get moving before the Thanagarians find us."

"She's right", Batman said as he walked forward and removed his cowl. Rachel looked at Batman's black hair and then looked into his cold, penetrating eyes. What she saw made her blink; she instantly knew what lurked in those eyes, eyes that only the pain of suffering and loss can create.

"Bruce Wayne," said the man, and then he jerked a thumb at Flash, "Wally West." He point to Superman. "Clark Kent," at Green Lantern, "John Stewart, and that's Diana and J'onn." The playboy finished as he raised his arm to point out the Amazon and Martian. Rachel looked at each Leaguer before nodding. With that, the League began to separate, each member looking for a set of clothes to change into.

Flash stayed put, expressing a smug face at the Dark Knight; "Show off," he exclaimed before removing his own mask. Reveal a man in about his mid-twenties with short red hair.

"Red hair, it suits you," Diana said as she ruffled his hair.

"You think so?" smiled Wally, but it quickly faded as a brown shirt hit him, covering half his face.

"Change _now,_" ordered Bruce as he stalked passed the speedster, eyeing him dangerously. Diana snickered before walking away.

Rachel looked at speedster with a small smirk. "Wally huh?"

"Yeah, Yeah," Wally pouted as he too went off to change.

* * *

Rachel leaned against a pillar, crossing her arms and was staring at her feet. She was waiting patiently for the Justice League to change into civilian attire, when she felt like someone was watching her. She moved her eyes and saw Wally hastily turn his head away from her. Suspicious, but not wanting to press the issue, Rachel looked down at her feet again. Sure enough she felt Wally staring at her again, she looked up a second time and again he hurriedly looked away.

Rachel sighed. "If you curious about my scar you could just ask." The speedster paused for moment, and then continued to change.

When the League finished changing, they regrouped at center of the store. Each Leaguer could now easily be regarded as a normal civilian; Superman wore a blue business suit and his trademarked pair of glasses. Wonder Woman had tied her hair up in a ponytail, and wore a plain long sleeve blue shirt with regular denim jeans. Green Lantern was in a pair of brown pants, a hoodie, and a skull-cap. Batman now wore a turtleneck sweater under a dark leather jacket, with slightly lighter pants. Flash picked out a pair of dark color jeans and a tan-colored jacket.

Wally looked at Rachel. "How did you know what I was thinking?" He leaned closer to her as his expression become accusatory, "can you read minds or something?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I don't need telepathy when it comes to my scar; it's kind of the first thing people see when they look at me." When Diana heard Rachel's words, she inwardly smiled a little. Here was someone who wasn't afraid of her imperfections, even though it was very noticeable.

"Oh okay, so how'd you get the scar?" asked Flash bluntly. The men just shook their heads, while Diana pinched the bridge of her nose.

Rachel's expression remained unchanged. "Long story short, I got it in a fight," she glanced at Bruce, "now are we just going to stand here playing '20 questions' or are we going to leave?"

The billionaire nodded, and led the way out to the alley at the back of the store. The heroes looked to up and saw Thanagarians flying in every direction. Further down the alley, Bruce peeked up and down the street to check if the coast was clear. He turned back and gave the others the thumbs-up.

"They'll be expecting seven of us; we'll stand a better chance if we split up," suggested John.

"We need to get to Gotham City. We can regroup at my house. Try not to draw attention to yourselves." Bruce strategized. After that the League broke into pairs, Clark walked down the street with J'onn, Wally followed Lantern across the street opposite, leaving Rachel, Bruce, and Diana in the alley.

"So I guess I'm with you two," the ghost-girl stated.

Bruce nodded. "We can pose as a family out on a nightly stroll."

Rachel's expression became grim as the billionaire finished talking "Fine, but just so you know _Bruce_, I am _not _addressing you two as my 'parents'." Bruce raised an eyebrow and looked over at Diana. The Amazon simply shook her head, warning the man to not press the issue. As the trio starting to walk away, Rachel simply fixed her gaze forward. The Detective however felt slightly uneasy as the teen walked next to him. The temperature in the air seems to have dropped several degrees. Diana could still feel the wave of emotions pouring out of the young girl. What had caused her so much pain? The Amazon shuddered as her imagination started to wander.

* * *

**Thanagarian Mothership: above the Gobi Desert**

Shayera Hol, formerly known as Hawkgirl and traitor to the Justice League, stood on the bridge of Thanagarian Mothership with Hro Talak, the Commander of Thanagarian forces and her financé. Thinking of what had just happened several hours earlier.

When word about the Justice League's escape from the prison shuttle reached, Talak was furious. He instantly ordered his forces to go to find the heroes. He then proceeded to have a team investigate the security footage to determine how they escaped. After several hours of fuming, Talak cooled off enough to think about the situation. There is no doubt that the heroes of the Justice League are formidable opponents, but the entire Thanagarian invasion force has them outnumbered and outgunned. With all that coupled with Shayera's information on all their weaknesses, Talak was confident that the League wouldn't win, no matter what their next move is.

However, his confidence was before he knew who freed them from the ship. The footage caught him by surprise. Apparently this human-look white-haired adolescent was able to get past the security formation surrounding it, and find where the League was being held. All while remaining completely undetected. She was then able to single-handedly fend off a platoon of Thanagarian soldiers, survive a heavy weapon blast, and finally blow a massive hole in hull of the ship with an energy blast of her own. Talak couldn't even comprehend how someone, adolescent or no, process that much power.

Shayera was having trouble believing it herself, even though she and Talak had reviewed the footage several times. She didn't know anything about the teenage girl; she too had never seen anything like it. However, what Shayera did know was that the girl will soon become a huge problem for their cause. The teen was a complete unknown, and in times of war, unknowns can be deadly.

Currently, Talak was having a conversation with Paran Dul, a Thanagarian woman, via vid-screen. Dul was tasked with overseeing the construction of the shield generator, the one that the Thanagarian claimed was necessary to protect Earth from a supposed Gordanian invasion.

"Be aware that the Justice League has escaped, apparently with the help of a white-hair teenage girl," Talak advised, "Be prepared in case they were to attack."

"Any attack on this base would be suicide," Dul bragged, seemingly no share the Thanagarian commander's concern.

"Keep me informed of your progress. Let nothing delay you," Talak said.

"By your command." Dul replied as se bowed her head. The screen went blank. Shayera took this opportunity to mention a topic she overheard Paran and her future husband discuss earlier.

"Humans as slave labor?" she asked accusingly with concern in her voice. She overheard Paran mention humans are able to 'lift and carry as _well_ as any animal.'

Talak didn't even glance at her as he answered. "Unfortunate, but necessary." Shayera was slightly taken aback at the remorselessness in his voice, before she could respond; Talak moved to a console nearby over and checked up on some details. "We are on a most unforgiving schedule. We must move as quickly as possible if we want to finish the hyperspace bypass in time."

Shayera dropped her jaw in shock, eyes threatening to burst from their sockets. Did he say hyperspace bypass? But that would…

"W-waited, bypass?" she yelled, looking the Commander in the eye. "I thought you said we were creating a force field for Earth!"

"That was simply our cover story." Talak simply replied.

Shayera couldn't believe her ears; she shook her head as she came up with another question.

"When were you going to tell me this?" she questioned. "Did you not think you could trust me?"

The room was silent for what seem like an eternity. In all those years of being together, Shayera never once had been this frustrated with the Commander. She just couldn't understand how the man she once loved would resort to this. How could he?

Talak broke the silence. "Follow me." This brought Shayera back to reality. The two Thanagarians began to walk out of the bridge and into an elevator.

A few minutes later, the pair entered the ship's war room. They stopped in front of a large vid-screen that was used for devising battle plans.

"As you are well aware, the Gordanian homeworld has been protected for decades by an impenetrable defensive line," Talak began, as he spoke, an image of the Gordanian home planet appeared, orbited by fleets of starships and several space stations. Clearly any head-on attack would be suicide.

The image shifted into a row of planets, each encircled and connected as if they were a part of a connect-the-dots image. "But this chain of hyperspace bypasses will allow the full force of our armada to go around their defenses by jumping behind them, which will let us wage a direct assault on the heart of their empire."

Shayera saw the brilliance in the plan. However she knew there was more to this, and sure enough the screen shifted once more to reveal an image of Earth, considerably larger than all the previous planets.

"Earth is the last link in the chain. Once we finish it, we can finally attack and annihilate the threat of the Gordanians forever."

The Ex-Leaguer could hear a hint of pride in his voice. However there was something much bigger that was worrying her.

"But ripping a hole in hyperspace would destroy this entire planet, and everyone on it!" she pointed out loudly.

"Unfortunately, yes," replied Talak, his voice became dark and quiet, as if that moment showed how much the war had affected him, how much it cost him, how much it is _still _costinghim. The touchy subject of the soul was usually disregarded by the Thanagarians, but Commander firmly believed that he will eventually face the consequences of his actions.

"For Thanagar to live, Earth must die." Those words left Shayera absolutely aghast. She had no idea everything would come to this.

"No."

* * *

**Metropolis: Outer limits**

Rachel, Diana, and Bruce were able to make their way out of Metropolis without encountering any Thanagarians. Both the Amazon and Detective thought about the ghost-girl. Bruce was concerned about the how Rachel's powers could affect the world; he was still having a hard time adjusting to the fact that the young girl was a total powerhouse, despite looking nothing like one. Diana however was thinking Rachel's mental health. Even though she hid it very well with her neutral expression, the princess could still feel the girl's agony. Diana hoped talking to her would get Rachel to ease up a little, and maybe learn more about her in the process.

"Rachel?"

The girl turned her head to the Amazon, but her expression didn't change. "Yes Diana?"

"I was wondering about you powers," Diana started, "may you give us more details about them?"

Bruce glanced at the princess. "It could help us a lot actually," he added.

Rachel looked both Diana and Bruce, and then realized what the Amazon's intentions were, and complied. "Sure, at the moment I've got flight, super strength, super speed, intangibility, invisibility, energy manipulation, sensory, and oh you haven't seen it yet, but I can also duplicate myself."

The billionaire and princess once again stared at the girl shockingly. She seemed very keen on constantly shocking them.

"At the moment?" questioned Bruce.

Rachel looked at the Detective, slightly impressed that he caught on. "Yeah, those are just the powers I currently have. I don't know if that's all I'll get though."

Bruce and Diana exchanged looks, both thinking the same thing. If what Rachel said was true, she could virtually become unstoppable.

"I know," continued Rachel, the two Leaguers looked back at her, "having all these powers could drive you insane, but that's why I have my human side," she pointed her thumb to her chest, "it keeps me honest."

Bruce nodded in understanding, glad to hear that even though Rachel had all these incredible abilities, she valued her humanity just as equally if not more.

Diana wanted to know something else. "If you have all these powers and are as powerful as we witnessed. How it is that we've never noticed you, even in the slightest?"

Rachel halted as she thought briefly about the Amazon's words. Her neutral expression changed into a brooding one. Bruce and Diana stopped as well. "I think it's because I'm in different dimension." Upon hearing this, Bruce and Diana stared at the girl, waiting for her to finish her hypothesis, "yeah it makes sense, back where I'm from there's no such thing as a _Justice League_, or Thanagarians, and there're no cities named Metropolis or Gotham city. And…And." Rachel tilted her head up to the sky as if hoping to find something amongst the stars. The Dark Knight and Amazon copied her, but saw nothing but plain sky.

"And what?" asked Bruce, looking back at Rachel.

Rachel lowered her gaze. "It doesn't matter right now, we should keep moving."

Bruce nodded and the trio started to walk again. Even though their minds were teeming with questions, now it is not the time to ask. There was still an invasion force that needed to be stopped.

* * *

**Wayne Manor**

The pretend family was the first to arrive at the billionaire's mansion. The double doors opened as the trio approached it, revealing an old, balding man wear a black suit and bow tie. Bruce quickly introduced the man as his butler, Alfred. Rachel took a moment to survey the inside of the mansion; the place seemed very spacious, very comfortable, and very nicely kept. She gazed forward again as Alfred stood in front of her, holding a tray full of snacks.

"Refreshments?" he asked calmly. Rachel smiled as she gratefully accepted his offer. She couldn't even remember the last time she ate.

A few moments later, Bruce led the two ladies to a grandfather clock. He opened the cover and moved the hour hand to the 12 o'clock position. There was a light gong that sounded, and the billionaire pulled the clock aside like a door. Behind it was a tunnel, stairs leading into a gigantic cave. Rachel looked in awe as she saw the enormous computer console standing against one wall, the unusually designed black car parked on a platform a few yards over. In another area, she noticed the various objects stood on their respective podiums and were inside glass cases. Behind the displays was a penny that looked to be twenty feet in diameter, next to that was a giant mechanical T-Rex.

Bruce smirked a little at seeing the ghost-girl's reaction at seeing his headquarters. "Welcome to the Batcave."

Rachel looked him questioningly. "You really live up to the whole bat-persona, don't you?"

"I do my best to." Bruce shrugged.

**A Few Hours Later**

The Flash and Green Lantern were the last Leaguers to arrive at manor. They were escorted into the Batcave by Alfred.

"You're late." Bruce remarked.

"Good to see you too." John answered was sarcasm. "We had a slight mishap."

Wally said nothing as he noticed the T-Rex, grinning like a child. "Hey, that's a giant dinosaur."

Alfred was behind him, his expression calm. "And I thought Batman was the Detective." Rachel smirked, she knew there was a reason she like the butler.

Flash rejoin the others as J'onn continued to speak. "We were just speculating why the Thanagarians are really here."

"We know it's obviously not to protect us." Clark said certainly.

"But if the Gordanians aren't anywhere near Earth," said Diana, "why do they need to build the force field?"

"If it is a force field." Questioned Bruce.

As the League talk amongst themselves, Rachel turned her head to a part of the cave that was covered in darkness. "Guys, we have company." The other heroes glanced over at Rachel's word, their eyes widened as they saw someone emerge from the shadows.

"You're good," said Shayera, then she looked to her former teammates "I can tell you what it is."

Clark glared at her as his pull off his glasses. "You've got lot of nerve showing up here."

"We should thank you," the Amazon said coldly, "it saves us the trouble of hunting you down."

Before the situation could escalate any further, the ghost-girl stepped in between the League and the Thanagarian traitor.

"Wait," she said, "she's obviously not here to pick a fight. We should hear her out." Everyone looked at Rachel, eyebrows raised.

"She's right, I came to help." The Former Hawkgirl told them.

"Hawk-people all over the planet?" Flash sarcastically pointed-out, "Martial law? I don't think we need any more of your help."

Superman and Wonder Woman nodded in agreement. Shayera paused for a moment, and then continued. "They're building a hyperspace bypass. When it's active, it'll destroy the planet and everyone on it." She walked up to Bruce and took out a small purple rectangular device. "Here; this has all the information on the project." Bruce said nothing as he kept glaring at her. "Believe me; I didn't know the magnitude of Talak's plan."

The Detective kept his glared on her as he took the device. "We'll check it." Walking away, he told her, "There's the door." The rest of the League except Green Lantern walked past Shayera without giving her so much as a passing glance. Rachel exchanged looks with the Thanagarian before she too walked away. Just before Shayera turned to leave, she gave John his ring back. He stared at it as he rejoined the group.

Rachel eyed the ring curiously. "What's with the jewelry?"

John slightly smirked at her, and then placed the ring onto his right middle finger. A second later, his eyes glowed green as he civilian clothes disappeared as green glow enveloped his body, changing him into his Green Lantern suit.

"Ah, I see." Rachel understood.

They turned to look at the computer, where it was showing a simulation of the effects of the hyperspace bypass. They continued until the simulation ended, confirming what Shayera has told them.

"Ingenious." The Bat whispered.

"Yeah, impressive," Superman added, taking off his glasses again, "Let's go wreck it."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Lantern asked, "The whole thing's behind a force field."

Rachel stepped forward and stopped next to where Bruce sat. "Let me take a look." She said as she narrowed her eyes, as she did so, a light blue visor-like, see-through strip appeared in front of her eyes. As the girl stared at the screen, lines of code and numbers appeared on the visor's screen, scrolling up at speeds barely detectable by the average human.

"It looks like the bypass is too dangerous for a crew to maintain the force field on-site. They're probably transmitting a remote signal that's keeping it active." Rachel extended her hand to the keyboard and typed a few keys. An image of the bypass appeared, followed by a line of arrows, the screen moved with the arrows as they landed on the Thanagarian mothership. "There, if we disable it, the force field's history."

The visor disappeared into thin air as Rachel finished talking, Flash leapt at the opportunity. "Okay again, how'd you do that?"

Rachel looked at the speedster, and then tucked her hair behind one ear, revealing a small black flat-studded earring on the lobe. "See this? It's a holographic interface that I use whenever I need to analyze something more thoroughly."

The Fastest Man Alive whistled. "Fashion and function. Nice!"

Rachel smiled warmly as she brought her hair back. "Thanks, they were…a gift." Her smile faltered slightly as she turned her face away from Wally. Diana looked sadly at the girl; realizing the meaning in her words. Suddenly Rachel's eyes widened as she turned her head to look at the entrance of cave.

"They're coming!"

Bruce looked at Rachel, and then at the computer screen, sure enough the proximity sensors surrounding the manor have been triggered.

"Suit up!" the Detective ordered as he sprung from his chair and ran to his spare Bat-suit. The other heroes, with their costumes being underneath, simply shed their outer clothing. J'onn merely shapeshifted back to his Martian form, and finally Rachel transformed as the blue rings returned, turning her back into her ghost form.

When everyone finished, Flash grinned at the girl. "Wow, it'd been awesome if I could _that_." Rachel just smirked and shrugged her shoulders.

"Get ready to ambush them." Batman said as he regrouped with rest. As the League ran to find a hiding spot, Rachel just vanished into thin air.

"Show off," muttered Flash smugly, and then he felt something smack him in back of the head, "Ow." He turned but wasn't able to see what hit him, only hearing a slight chuckle. "Ha ha, very funny." He pouted before running off.

At few seconds later, the entrance exploded, two squads of Thanagarian soldiers landed in the center of the cave. All but two carried axes, maces, spears and swords, while the last two carried heavy cannons.

"Spread out," the squad leader barked, "they're hiding here somewhere."

The Thanagarian trespassers didn't get far however as a pair of blue energy blasts hit the two heavy weapon carriers squarely in the chest, knocking them out cold.

"You just made a _big_ mistake," Rachel said as she reappeared, and the League charged from the shadows.

"Come get some," roared Green Lantern as he blasted one of the Thanagarians attempting to shoot him with his ring.

Wonder Woman caught another soldier by the ankles with her lasso and swung the alien towards Manhunter, who stuck his arm to the side, clotheslining the Thanagarian's head. Flash was running in a weaving pattern through the soldiers, hitting them with incredible speed, not stopping for anything.

As one Thanagarian soldier was drawing a bead on the Fastest Man Alive with his weapon. Superman blurred in front of him, crushing both the soldier's pistol and hand. Making the Thanagarian scream in pain, Superman simply told him, "Let's use our indoor voice." Then he punched the soldier, sending him flying into the stone wall.

Flash was able to avoid the shots from his new Thanagarian pursuers. He ran passed them and spun his arms rapidly, two small tornadoes blew the two Thanagarians into the giant penny's stand, causing it to collapse on them, tails facing up.

Flash expressed a wide smirk. "Tails, I win."

As Batman landed on the ground, he threw three batarangs into the three Thanagarians' chest harnesses. They didn't penetrate however, the soldiers stopped in their tracks, hovering in the air, looking at the Dark Knight with disdain. What they didn't notice, was the red light blinking on each batarang.

"Your weapons are pitiful." A soldier snarled

"Wait for it." As Batman finish, hundreds of eyes appeared into focus in the darkness behind him. Then an enormous swarm of bats flew towards the three Thanagarians, seemingly attracted to the batarangs. The soldiers screamed, and tried to wave the bats off, but to no avail. When the bats finally flew away, the Thanagarian soldiers lay unconscious, with scratches covering their bodies.

Rachel was having no trouble dodging the Thanagarians' shots. She flew towards the group at speeds faster than the blink of an eye. She swung her leg and kicked one Thanagarian soldier squarely in the temple, causing him to slam into the opposite wall ten yards away. Before other two soldiers could react, Rachel hit one of them with an uppercut, sending him flying to the ceiling, before following through with a back fist to the last Thanagarian's cheek, sending the unconscious soldier crashing to the ground.

* * *

With that, the fight had been won. The heroes tied up the Thanagarian intruders, and then walked out the Batcave and into the Detective's mansion, where Alfred was sweeping up the glass that used to be the front windows.

"Mind the glass, sir." Informed the butler as the League walked past him.

Once outside, Batman turned to Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the ghost-girl. "Go and disable the command ship." He then looked at Flash and Manhunter. "We'll take care of the bypass."

Flash widened his eyes skeptically. "Whoa-whoa, wait! That thing's the size of a city. What are you going to do, throw a batarang at it?"

The Detective looked at the Thanagarian aircraft parked a few yards over. "Something like that." He answered as he narrowed his eyes.

"What do you plan to do?" The Martian asked.

"First you two are going to help me retake the Watchtower." Rachel looked up at the sky, picturing the League's advanced space station orbiting the planet.

"B-But it's crawling with Thanagarian soldiers," Flash protested, "How are we going to get inside?"

Batman pointed to the Thanagarian aircraft. "With that" was his simple reply.

Superman nodded. "We all've got out assignments, let's go." The Man of Steel soared upwards, with Wonder Woman and Green Lantern flying right behind him. Rachel floated in the air a few feet before turning back to face the trio.

"Good luck." Three men nodded as she turned again and flew off after the others.

Batman, Flash and Manhunter were inside Thanagarian aircraft, with J'onn in the pilots chair staring at the controls.

"Well?" asked the Dark Knight.

"I have no idea how to fly this vessel."

"Aw man, if we only had Rachel's holographic thingy," Flash quipped as he looked at a button on the control panel. "What's this do?" he pressed the button. The ship shot a blast of energy at Wayne Manor, creating a big hole right next to the glassless window. Alfred lifted his head as he had ducked from the explosion.

"My Word!"

Batman got right up in Flash's face, gritting his teeth. "That's. _Not_. Helping."

J'onn turned to the two. "I'll need one of the hawk-men."

Several minutes later, Batman grabbed Kregor, the one that led the attack, and one of Talak's chief advisors, and threw him against the side of the aircraft.

"You think I'll tell you anything?" Kregor taunted, "I'd sooner choke on your bones."

"Fine by me," Flash retorted, his fist ready to strike. "Can I start with these?" The Manhunter grabbed his arm before the speedster could punch the Thanagarian.

"We're short on time," said J'onn said, "I'll take the information from him."

"Wait, I thought you couldn't read their minds?" Flash looked curiously at his friend.

"I'll just have to try _harder_." J'onn answered as he gripped Kregor's head, eyes glowing.

As the Manhunter attempted to break into Kregor's mind, slashes and claw-marks appeared throughout J'onn's body. Apparently the Thanagarian's mental defenses stronger than the Martian had anticipated. A few seconds later, J'onn pulled himself away from Kregor, swaying as he stood. Flash grabbed the Martian's arm to steady him, his injures slowly began to fade.

"I… I have what we need." J'onn said grimly, not proud of what he had done.

Shortly after, the aircraft took off towards the Watchtower. Alfred walked onto the yard, spotting Kregor lying sideways on the ground. The butler noticed the Thanagarian was softly moaning. His eyes were wide, but unseeing; drool was falling from his open mouth.

It seems Manhunter's attack on his mind did some serious damage.

Alfred wrinkled his nose slightly at the sight of the crippled Thanagarian. "I'll have to ask Master Bruce to not leave trash in the yard."

* * *

**Outer Space: approaching Watchtower**

J'onn shapeshifted into a doppelgänger of Kregor as the stolen ship approached the Watchtower. Pressing a button on the control panel, he spoke with Kregor's voice.

"Shuttle Elipson-sixteen, requesting entry." He pressed another button on the panel. "Confirm docking code."

"Docking code confirmed." The ships on-board speakers responded as the doors to the Watchtower's docking bay opened. "You are clear to come aboard."

After the ship landed, the disguised Martian walked down the ramp where two Thanagarian soldiers stood waiting.

"We weren't expecting you, sir." One of them said, surprise in his voice.

"There's been a change of plans." 'Kregor' said, and then his form changed into large blue Cyclops like creature. The two soldiers gasped in fear.

J'onn hastily incapacitated the two Thanagarians, but realized more ran into the docking bay. As one attempted to take a shot, a batarang flew in and disarmed him. The soldier was just able to see Batman run at him until the Detective knocked him unconscious with a pair of electrical-charged brass knuckles. The remaining Thanagarians in the space station were no match for the three heroes.

* * *

**Thanagarian Invasion Fleet**

Rachel, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern were fast approaching the Thanagarian Fleet. However it became clear that they were discovered, as every fighter aircraft was converging on their position.

"Pretty bad odds." The Amazon stated.

"It's absolutely terrible." Rachel added.

"Yeah, they don't stand a chance." Superman responded in a serious tone.

To call the following event a battle is completely incorrect. A battle would imply that both opposing sides were receiving damage. The Thanagarian fighters were being blasted out of the sky in a matter of seconds. Leaving the heroes completely unharmed.

Green Lantern constructed an electric drill with his ring, and then proceeded to drill a hole at the bottom of the Mothership. Afterwards he made his way inside, zooming down the halls of the ship.

* * *

**Watchtower**

Batman, Flash, and Martian Manhunter have successfully taken out all the Thanagarian soldiers that previously occupied the Watchtower.

"Okay," Flash boast, fists on his hips, "the Watchtower's ours again." He then rushed over to the Detective, who made his way over to one of the computer consoles during the fight.

"So where's this secret weapon of yours?" asked the speedster.

"You're standing in it."

Flash looked at him completely shocked. "Wait… you mean we're gonna…"

"Take the Watchtower out of orbit and drop it right on top of their little science project." Batman finished for him. He then pointed at the unconscious Thanagarians. "Get them to the escape pods."

The Watchtower's engines turned and the giant space station started speed towards the hyperspace bypass. The heroes hurriedly brought all the soldiers to the escaper pods. With the Flash's speed, they were done in no time.

"Are these the last of them?" J'onn wanted to make sure.

"Yep," replied Flash confidently, clapping his hands clean. However neither of them noticed Batman slowly backing away from the escape pod. "The tower is completely pest-free."

"Good." The Detective said as he pressed a button, launching the escape pod away from the Watchtower, with him still onboard the station.

The two Leaguers inside the pod bolted to the window. "Bats! What are you doing?" yelled the Flash.

"I can't risk having the Watchtower burn up on reentry. I'll have to guide it in manually." Batman stopped for a few seconds, selecting his next words carefully. "Gentlemen… It's been an honor."

J'onn hung his head as Flash slowly sat on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest. Both heroes knew that the chances of Batman surviving are slim to none.

* * *

**Thanagarian Mothership**

Standing on the Mothership's bridge, Commander Hro Talak was watching live security footage of John Stewart flying through the ship's halls, blasting anyone and everyone out of the way without any hesitation. Upon seeing the human, Talak became hoarse with rage. He despised the Lantern with the deepest passion. The Justice Leaguer had stolen Shayera Hol's love away from him. Shayera was currently being held in the brig for warning the League about their plans, giving Lantern back his ring, and ultimately betraying her entire race. Talak had tried his best to reason with her. Trying to make her see that in order for the Thanagarians to prevail, Earth must be sacrificed, but instead of listening to him. Shayera betrayed her people, betrayed _him_, because she grew to love the Earth, to love _John Stewart_.

"Intruder alert!" a soldier on the bridge made a ship-wide announcement. "All security teams to engineering!"

"Belay that!" shouted the Commander, as he walked out of the bridge, tightening the hold on his battle-axe. "Green Lantern is _mine_."

If Talak had remained in his spot for just a tiny bit longer, he would have notice Wonder Woman slamming a fighter into the bridge. She immediately flew into room, with Rachel hot on her tail. While the Amazon took out the remaining soldiers in the bridge, the ghost-girl blasted every control panel she could see. Soon enough, the room was filled with smoke and unconscious Thanagarians. Diana picked up a sword and rushed out of the room, followed by Rachel. They ran alongside each other until they reached two separate hallways leading to engineering.

The Amazon looked at her young friend. "Are you ready?"

Rachel floated a few feet off the ground. "You bet'cha, you go that way," She pointed to the left hallway, and then to the right, "and I'll go this way?" Diana nodded. "Awesome. A little race to see who gets there first?" she finished with a grin.

"You're on." Wonder Woman smirked, and then charged down her hallway, war crying as she went. Rachel soared down her own hallway, shoving Thanagarians out of her way.

The Amazon princess had to admit, the Thanagarians were worthy opponents, but she was able to get past them with hardly any trouble. After she defeated the squad she was fighting, she approached an unusual door that had bars in various angles. The door was an entrance to a room, in the center of the room, and stood inside of a force field was the traitor, Shayera Hol. Anger boiled inside Diana as she glared at her former friend.

"I should leave you to burn." Wonder Woman growled. Then she slashed the control panel to Shayera's cell with her sword. Instantly there was an opening at the door and the force field vanished. Diana glared at Shayera for a few more seconds, and then she walked away. Shayera walked out of the room, picked up a mace from an unconscious soldier, and flew towards engineering.

Green Lantern pried open the door to the force field control room with his ring. At the center of the room was a large room with a pillar shape force field; inside of was what looked like a small plunger-like device.

"The force field controls." Lantern glanced upwards and saw Hro Talak, landing in between him and the force field. "That is what you came for, yes? You want it?" he held his axe at the ready. "All you have to do is get by me."

"It'll be a pleasure." Lantern replied as he raised his ring, firing a beam of energy at the Thanagarian commander, who just simply deflected it by swinging his axe.

"No." Talak objected. "This won't be like the last time that you took something that belonged to me."

John realized he meant Shayera. "Anything I took was freely offered. Maybe you should take better care of your stuff."

Lantern shot more beams of energy at Talak, who deflected them all. As both flew into the air, Lantern formed a shield in an attempt to block Talak's attack. The strategy didn't seem very effective as eventually his shield was broken. He then resorted to dodge the Commander's attacks; this didn't work either as Lantern was hit by the hilt of Talak axe and fist, sending him flying into some machinery, causing several cuts to his face.

Talak landed in front of John as he slowly regained his feet. "I've beaten you, little man." He said with no pity in his voice, "any last words?"

Green Lantern finally got back on his feet, glaring at the Thanagarian. "Yeah, you can kiss my axe!" He snarled as he created a green battleaxe with his ring. Then the two swung their weapons at each other, both refusing to back down.

* * *

Rachel plowed through another group of Thanagarians, she realized she could simply fly past them using her intangibility, but she didn't want them following her. She was doing extremely well aside from a few nicks. She was more concerned about the others; in short time they've been together, the girl had grown to care for the Leaguers, even the Detective. She realized that bonds forged by battle can become very powerful. _But was it real, or was it just my grief making me attached?_

As the ghost-girl noticed another squad of soldiers up ahead, he decided to use a different tactic. Leading with energy blasts, she took out half the soldiers before they got too close. Then she punched and kicked the rest, even throwing several to the walls or into other soldiers. She hovered for a bit when she felt someone approaching her from behind. Instinctively, she spun around rapidly, a punch ready to strike her pursuer.

"Wait!"

Rachel stopped inches from her face. "Shayera?" the ghost-girl exclaimed.

"Yeah, i-it's me" she answered, "You're Rachel, right?"

Rachel nodded as she lowered her fist, glaring at the former Leaguer. "What are you up to?"

Shayera looked away in shame. "I want to try and fix what I've done, and maybe I can never repair the damage I've done completely. I want to start now before it's too late."

Rachel took a good look at the woman in front of her. She understood how Shayera felt about the situation; all she wanted to do was fix her mistakes, to seek redemption.

"Okay then," the girl said calmly before turning around to continue down the hallway.

Shayera followed Rachel, but something confused the Thanagarian. "Wait, so you're going to trust me, just like that?"

"I know you won't try anything," the ghost-girl answered, and she looked over her shoulder at Shayera, "because we both know what would happen if you _did_." Shayera nodded as Rachel looked forward again. Rachel's statement wasn't her being cocky; it was just a simple fact. Both of them knew the ghost-girl would _destroy _the Thanagarian in a fight.

* * *

The coast remained clear as the two reached the door to the shield controls. Their eyes widened as they turned just in time to see Talak bring the blunt side of his axe down onto Lantern's forearm. John fell to his knees, screaming in pain as the bone shattered. However the Thanagarian commander didn't stop there, he hit Lantern with a sickening uppercut, causing him to fly across the room until he landed motionless on the floor.

Talak lifted his axe above his head, ready to end it, when Shayera shouted. "Hro! Enough!" The Commander turned his head to see the former Leaguer walking towards him. Stopping when they were only inches apart.

There was a moment of silence, and then Talak backhanded Shayera viciously, sending her crashing to the floor.

"I'm a fool!" Anger was in every letter as he shrieked, "For _ever_ loving you!"

Before Talak got another chance to attack his former lover, the Commander was sent flying across the room and slamming into the wall. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it, and when he did, he saw the white-haired girl hovering above him, holding his axe. Talak looked at the weapon in shock before looking at his empty hands.

Rachel looked down at the Commander; her face was contorted with anger and disgust. "_That _is enough!" the girl barked, and then with seemingly no effort, she snapped the axe perfectly in half. Dropping the pieces at Talak's feet.

"Shayera!" Rachel called out to the former Leaguer as she helped Lantern back to his feet. "I'll handle this, shut down the shield!"

After both Shayera and John nodded in understanding, they walked the control panel, the latter leaner on Shayera for support. Talak looked at Rachel furiously, he was not about to be defeated by a child. He wouldn't allow it. With a shout he flew at the girl, aiming a fist straight at her face. However in one swift motion, Rachel deflected his attack as she punched him in the jaw, causing Talak's head to whip back violetly. Then she grabbed his arms, and kneeing him in the gut as she pulled him in, Talak made wretched sound as he felt the pain. Finally Rachel shot an energy blast straight into commander's chest, sending him flying into a wall.

* * *

**Watchtower**

Batman struggled to keep the Watchtower on course as it descended through Earth's atmosphere. The station began to grow red hot as it continued to fall. He contacted Superman via his comlink.

"We're cutting it a little close." He pointed out. The Watchtower shook violently; electrical systems were sparking under stress, and debris was falling from the ceiling. "Have you shut off the force field?"

Superman shot a fighter out of the sky with his heat vision before pressing the comlink in his ear.

"Not yet. Where are you?"

"Aboard the Watchtower," the Detective replied, "guiding it to target."

"That' insane!" the Man of Steel exclaimed with shock. "Get out of there!"

"Negative. I'm staying." Grunted Batman as the communication was cut, replacing it was static.

"Batman!" Superman wasted no time and sped up towards the falling space station. Thanks to his enhanced senses, he was able to easily find it. Superman just hoped he could save his friend in time.

* * *

**Inside the Thanagarian Mothership**

Talak's entire body ached with pain. He now realized that the odds are against him. The Commander had undoubtedly underestimated the young girl; she was stronger than anyone he had ever faced. However he couldn't escape the feeling that the girl was pulling her attacks.

"What's the matter?" Talak jabbed as he got back to his feet. "Afraid to kill me? Too scared to get blood on your hands?"

Rachel landed a few feet in front of him, eyes narrowed as she glared at him. _What's his problem? Why does he have to make it so hard for himself? _A split second later, the ghost-girl drove her fist into Talak's midsection, causing him to double over. As he did so, Rachel grabbed his chest harness and brought him inches to her face.

"Shut up!" She said as she punched directly between his eyes. With a final grunt, the Thanagarian commander slid across the floor.

After glaring at the unconscious Talak for a few more moments, Rachel turned around to see the Lantern had just broken the force field with his ring. Stumbling forward, he reached the device and tried his hardest to push it down, but he couldn't because of the amount of pain he was in. He continued to struggle until Shayera walked next to him and placed her hand on top of his, and together they deactivated the shields.

* * *

**Watchtower**

The Watchtower continued its descent. The former engineering marvel was now a twisted, red hot, metal wreck hurtling towards the now unprotected bypass. It Batman took every ounce of will he had to stay conscious. Sweat was pouring out of every pore in the Detective's body as he struggled to keep the Watchtower on the correct trajectory.

Batman finally lost consciousness when he knew the Watchtower was guaranteed to crash into the bypass. Seconds after he passed out, Superman crashed in the station, he hurriedly ripped the seat that Batman was strapped to, and then flew both the seat and the Dark Knight to safety. After landing far away, Clark watched as the space station, the headquarters of the Justice League for the last few years, crashed into the Thanagarians' hyperspace bypass. The massive structure exploded with the force of a nuclear weapon. Leaving a crater that was several miles deep, and so wide it could be seen from space.

Batman, having regained his consciousness, looked at the devastation with Superman. Both men knew their mission was a success. A moment of silence later, Superman turned to his friend, a light smirk on his face.

"You always have to be the hero, don'tcha?"

The Dark Knight glanced at the Man of Steel, giving him a tired smirk of his own. "Right back at you."

* * *

**Thanagarian Mothership**

Rachel, Green Lantern and Shayera looked at the viewscreen in the room; it was showing the giant crater where the hyperspace bypass used to be. After smiling at them both, Shayera stared at the floor, looking sad and guilty.

Rachel sensed people approaching and quickly spun around to face the entrance. John and Shayera noticed the girl turning around, and hurriedly followed suit. A platoon of Thanagarian soldiers burst into the room, completely surrounding the trio. The three were prepared to fight, when cries of pain from the back of the room made everyone turn. Standing over several unconscious Thanagarians, covered with bruises and scratches on her body, panting, but still ready to fight, was Wonder Woman.

"Who's next?" asked Diana as she raised her sword. Before any more Thanagarians could charge at her, a voice could be heard from the opposite side of the room

"Stand down!" Commander Hro Talak barked as he stood up, bruises both light and dark covered the majority of his body. "Lower your weapons." every Thanagarian soldier obeyed without hesitation.

"Commander?" one soldier questioned.

"Our mission is a failure." The Commander elaborated. "There's no more reason to fight. Let them go." Talak paid no attention to the disbelieving looks from the soldiers and the heroes as Talak limped over to Shayera. "I hope you're pride of yourself. It'll take years for us to rebuild elsewhere."

Shayera simply glared at the Commander, her expression stoic. "Then you'd better get started." was all she said as she, Lantern, Diana, and Rachel walked out of the room. No Thanagarian made a move to stop them.

* * *

**Wayne Manor, 24 hours later**

Rachel and Shayera sat next to each other on the couch, watching the news. Rachel was back into her human form, and she was dressed in a plain pair of jeans, shoes, and a white shirt with the back cut away make room for her wings. As the television showed the Thanagarian fleet leaving Earth, the reporter narrated off screen.

"_This is Snapper Carr reporting, in a stunning turn of events. The Thanagarian forces have ended their occupation of Earth, departing for locations unknown. Once again the world owes a debt of gratitude the selfless heroism of Justice League._

Shayera turned off the TV and stared at her feet. "They've been in there a long time."

"Yes, they have." Rachel replied.

They were currently waiting for the League to finish their discussion about its future, and the future of its traitorous teammate, in the dining room. Since Shayera had betrayed them, she was prohibited to be involved in the discussion. Rachel had been politely asked to leave, since she wasn't a League member at all.

The two women had spent the past few hours in a discussion of their own. Rachel hoped that would raise her spirits, even if it's minuscule. Shayera was astounded with what Rachel was telling her. The world that she was from sounded so amazing it might as well have been imaginary.

While Rachel had originally intended to try and make Shayera feel better, her own mood improved well she told the Thanagarian about her world. Talking about how beautiful it was made she remember all the good times she had before everything…

_No! No! Bad thoughts! Push them away _she thought as shook her head.

Rachel could tell that Shayera was still depressed. She had just lost everything. Just like her, but she was able to gain new friends almost immediately. Shayera had not only betrayed those friends, but also her people. Shayera would now live the rest of her life knowing that the defeat of her species was her fault.

Rachel took a deep breath. "Shayera, look." The former Leaguer looked up at the young girl. "I know at least a part of what you're going through. I know how it feels to lose everything." she raised an eyebrow as Rachel looked down and her hands. The girl mustered up her courage, there's no going back now, "You may have lost your friends' trust, but at least they still have their lives. You can regain their trust, as hard as it might be. My friends and family, everyone that I've ever cared about, was killed less than a few days ago." The words stung horribly, but she'd managed to say in out loud.

Shayera looked at her in shock. The girl had gone through that kind of trauma, and had been thrown into a universe that was completely foreign to her, and she'd still risked her life to save a world that wasn't even hers?

"I'm just gonna say this," Rachel said, "_everyone _here is alive because of the sacrifices you made. Your selfless acts kept the world safe." Sheyera gave the girl a faint smile. Rachel reached out and held her hand. "Whatever they decide in there, _you're_ a hero in my eyes."

Shayera gave Rachel another smile, and this time however, the smile was genuine.

"She exploited our weaknesses, betrayed us…" Wonder Woman had ranting about what Shayera had done to them. At this point, some of her points are probably repeated.

"Come on," Flash countered, the Speedster had been defending Shayera since the meeting started, "she was in the ultimate no-win situation; but when push came to shove, she came through for us, just like always."

"She is a pariah to her people." J'onn added. "We are all she has left."

"Believe me, J'onn, I feel for her." Said Superman, "But after everything that's happed, I honestly don't know if I can ever completely trust her again."

Green Lantern looked at table, silent since the meeting began.

"We're arguing in circles." Batman stated, "It's time to vote."

"Excuse me Miss Hol," Alfred said as he entered the room. Both Rachel and Shayera stood up, their faces apprehensive. "They sent for you."

"Thank you, Alfred." The butler nodded, and walked away. Before she headed to the dining room, she gave the ghost-girl a small hug. "Thanks, Rachel."

Rachel returned the gesture, "Of course, Shayera."

She sat back down on the couch as Shayera enter the dining room, what went unnoticed was the invisible duplicate phasing through the wall. Rachel knew that doing this would be rude, but curiosity got the better of her. Shayera was facing the other six League members as they stood in a line, all completely upright. Even Green Lantern, who wore a cast on his right arm.

"Hawkgirl…" Superman began.

Before Superman said another word, Shayera interrupted him. "Before you start, I have something to say." She took a deep breath. "I came to this planet as a patriot. I had a mission and I carried it out...what I couldn't know, was that I would come to care for the Earth and her people." She look at each Leaguer in the eye; even Batman, who looked at her suspiciously, and Wonder Woman, who looked at her with condescendingly, "that I'd come to care for all of _you_. I've spent the last five years torn between my feelings and my duty. I won't ask you to do the same." She straightened her posture, some of her old flame returning. Therefore I am resigning from the Justice League, Effective immediately."

Both Rachel and her invisible duplicate widened their eyes, the latter taking great effort not to gasp. Taking Shayera's last words as a cue, the duplicate blinked out of existence. Shayera turned and walk towards the door, leaving her six former teammates stunned. Flash was the first to recover and gave her a hug. As she returned it, the Thanagarian whispered in his ear.

"Tell the others to take care of Rachel; she really needs friends right now."

With that, they separated, and Shayera exited the room without look back.

"Great," muttered Flash, "no Watchtower, now no Hawgirl; what's gonna happen to the League now? Do we all just walk away?"

"No," J'onn said, "we rebuild. Starting today."

"J'onn's right," agreed Superman, "Earth still needs us, and we'll never let her down. It's our duty."

Green Lantern just looked at the floor, still silent.

Rachel didn't know what to say. While she'd known Shayera for even less time than the rest of the League, but she still counted her as a friend, and now she was leaving? _Where would she go? _Although she wanted to say something, she knew Shayera's made up her mind.

Rachel stood up and gave her one last hug. "Good luck." She muttered as they broke apart and she walked out of the manor. In a way, Shayera was very similar to her. Both women had their lives shattered, and now the former Leaguer is trying to find her own way in the world. Maybe she should try and do the same, but was she ready to do that?

Alfred walked in as Rachel continued to think about her future. "Miss Robertson?" she looked up at the butler. "They're ready for you."

Rachel sighed, got up and smoothed out her clothing. "Thank you Alfred, but you could just call me 'Rachel' or 'Rach' even."

They looked at each other for a moment, and then Alfred smirked a little. "Very well, _Miss _Rachel." The ghost-girl smiled in return, shaking her head as rolled her eyes. She entered the dining room, where the Justice League was waiting, minus Green Lantern.

"Okay," Superman began, "now what to do with you?"

Shayera stood at the edge of the cliff near Wayne Manor. She heard footsteps, but knew they belonged to. So she didn't turn around

"You never asked how we vote."

Shayera barely looked at John Stewart before returning her gaze to the sunset. "It doesn't matter."

"So… where're you gonna go?"

"I don't know." Shayera answered after the moment. "Some place where the fate of the world isn't in my hands. Some place where there are no more secrets, no more lies."

"Was it all a lie?"

Shayera turned around, looking Lantern right in the eyes. "I love you, John." She told him. "I never lied about that."

Another a moment had past, Shayera Hol turned around, spread her wings, and flew off into the sunset.

John Stewart watched her fly away, not knowing where she's going. Once she disappeared from sight, the tears fell down his cheeks.

"I love you too."

**A/N: There you have it folks! The first chapter of my first fic. I hope you enjoyed it. Now I would love some feedback, because it's you, the readers, that helps me improve and make the story better. Till next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: NOTHING IS MINE! NOTHING, I TELL YOU!**

**First off I'd like to thank you for all the reviews and favorites. It's really motivates me to see that you are enjoying the story. **

Beacon of Justice

Chapter 2

Rachel Robertson stood in the dining room of Wayne Manor before five out of the six remaining members of the Justice League, waiting to see what they planned to do with her. After all, they know very little about the young-girl, she didn't even belong in this universe. Superman cleared his throat, and spoke first.

"Well, Rachel, first off we'd like thank you for all that you did during the Thanagarian invasion. We couldn't've done it without you." Several Leaguers nodded their heads in agreement.

"Umm, sure, glad I could help." The ghost-girl replied.

"We however, have a request." Superman continued, "We'd appreciate it if you could tell us more about your universe."

Rachel looked at every League in the eye. Then she took a breath and began.

"Basically, I come from a world where ghosts and humans coexist beside each other. And for a while, they lived together in place. Well _mostly..._

… To help maintain the peace and order of my Earth, a division called the 'Guardian program' was created. The program consisted of mostly ghosts and humans, but over the years, the number of_ Halfas_ in the program increased substantially. "

The League members looked in confusion at the word. Rachel elaborated. "Halfas are part human, and part ghost. You know, like me." Several nods and sounds of "oh" indicated they understood.

"So if you have both a ghost and human side," Diana wondered, "Do this mean you have multiple personalities? "

"No," Rachel said firmly, "I'm the same person regardless; I just have two different states of being." Diana nodded as Rachel continued with her story.

"Anyway, I became a Guardian when I was eight years old, and for the past ten years. I've been doing my part to keep my world safe. Y'know, fighting for the common good, protecting the innocent, helping those in need, things like that."

The five Leaguers widened their eyes at her words. Apparently this girl has been doing what they all did in their adult lives, but she's only _eighteen_.

Rachel spoke again. "Back then, that was all I've ever wanted. I was happy, I felt at peace with my life." Then her expression turned very bitter. "That is before everything went..." Rachel didn't finish her sentence as she clenched her fists.

"What happened?" Diana asked.

Rachel turned to J'onn. "You're a telepath, right Mr. J'onzz?" the Martian nodded. "Can you look at my memories from a few days ago?"

J'onn looked confused for a moment, but then his eyes glowed as he complied with Rachel's request. A few seconds later, he rocked back in his seat, looking horrified.

"J'onn?" Superman said as he looked at his friend in concern. However, the Martian replied by shaking his head.

"A few days ago," Rachel spoke again; all the Leaguers looked at her. "An old enemy of the Guardians attacked us. Long story short: my parents, my cousin, my friends, and my gir-girlfriend were all killed." Tears appeared in her eyes, and were threatening to run down her cheeks. "I couldn't save them, I wasn't strong enough. They would still be alive if I had just…Just." The tears fell as she began to cry. The members of the League looked at Rachel, devastated with what they had just heard. Then Diana walked up to the weeping girl and hugged her. A few minutes later, Rachel regained her composure, and they separated.

"Rachel, I am terribly sorry for your loss," said Diana, "Do you think that you could wait outside while we discuss this?"

Rachel looked at Amazon, nodding as she wiped her tears with her sleeve. Just before she reached the door, she looked back over her shoulder. "Sorry. "

"You have nothing to apologize for." Diana reassured with a small smile. After Rachel left, the League members turned to look at each other.

Flash was the first one to speak. "Man… She's had it rough, but are we still gonna offer her a place in the League?"

"She has lost everything that held meaning for her," said J'onn, "her devastation is understandable."

"I had sensed her pain before," Diana added, "but I had no idea they were _that _severe."

"On top of the loss of her family," Batman explained, "she found herself in another universe. She was thrown head first into a battle she didn't want to be involved in, and she's never even got the chance to grieve."

"Then perhaps we should give her some time." The Amazon suggested.

Superman rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "I could take her to my parents' house; give her some space to think and come to terms." He looked at Bruce. "At least it'll get her out of your hair, Bruce."

The Detective simply scowled at Superman with his signature Bat-glare.

"That's a good idea Clark." Diana agreed. Then she had a thought "Maybe she could meet your cousin while she's there. It might be good for her to meet someone her own age."

Both Superman and Flash nodded in agreement. "Once she starts feeling better, maybe we can show her around. She did say that Metropolis doesn't exist in her universe." Clark looked at the other Leaguers. All of which gave him an agreeing look. "Now, if there aren't any other matters, I think that we should adjourn for the day."

"Actually," J'onn told them, "there is one more matter concerning Rachel. When I looked into her mind, I saw one thing that we should all be aware of." He paused, as if unsure of what to say. The others frowned at the Martian. Dancing around the subject was strange for J'onn, who was usually very direct in his speech.

"You should all know that before arriving in our universe. She was feeling suicidal."

The others leaned back in their chairs, their expressions grim. Batman was the only one didn't look surprised, or if he did, he hid it well.

Superman sighed and stood up. "I'll tell Kara to keep an eye on her. I won't tell her about this, but I will make sure that Rachel doesn't try anything."

The other Leaguers nodded, then one by one, began leaving the room; some to their homes, while others went to rooms loaned to them by Bruce. J'onn sent a telepathic summary of the meeting to Green Lantern, when Clark left to get Rachel.

* * *

**Sky above Kansas**

Superman and Rachel, now in her ghost form, were flying to Smallville, Clark's home town. Rachel hadn't said much since the meeting, except agreeing to going with Superman and saying goodbye to the other Leaguers. Superman was relieved to see that the ghost-girl hadn't completely withdrawn into herself after her break down. Before the two left, Rachel gave small smiles to each member, even Batman, and gave Diana a gentle hug.

Thanks to their speed, the Halfa and the Kryptonian reached Smallville shortly after leaving Wayne Manor. When they landed in front of the Kent family farm, Rachel turned back into a human. "This is…nice." She commented, noting the open space. The place looked peaceful and quiet. Which was definitely what she needed right now.

The sun was just rising over the Kansas horizon; Rachel asked if they would be bothering his parents if they were still asleep, but Clark merely laughed. He told the Halfa that his parents getting up after sunrise is a rare occurrence.

"Ma! Pa! I'm home!" He called out to prove his point.

A moment later, and elderly man and woman opened the door to greet them. While both were getting on in years, they seemed lively and in overall good shape. The woman smiled at the sight of Superman and gave him a warm hug.

"Clark, welcome home."

Clark returned his mother's smile. "It's good to see you both." He turned his head towards Rachel. "Rachel, these are my parents: Jonathan and Martha Kent. I am who I am because of them."

"Awe, Clark." Martha said embarrassingly, "You say the darndest things, now don't be shy come in, come in."

Clark laughed at his mother's remark. "But Ma, you know it's _true_." After Clark and Rachel came into the Kent's home. Rachel thought about how cozy the place felt, and couldn't but smile. As Clark spoke again, she focused back to the Kents. "This is Rachel. I was hoping that you could let her stay here for a few days, maybe a week at the most. At least until we can find a place for her."

Martha looked at the young girl. She seemed sweet, but there was a troubled look in her eyes. She also noticed the scar running down her eye, and wondered what had happened to the poor girl. She exchanged looks with Jonathan, who apparently saw the same thing. This made Rachel blush and look down with embarrassment.

"Uh… Um, I'm sorry if I'm intruding Mister and Misses Kent." She said hastily.

Jonathan blinked and then smiled. "Oh no no, it's quite alright. We're more than happy to have you as our guest. Why don't you let Martha show you to Clark's old room? You should get some sleep, then we'll give you a tour of the old place."

Rachel looked up at Jonathan, and then smiled. "Thank you very much."

As Martha led Rachel upstairs, Jonathan turned to his son.

"So, Clark, what's the story with the young lady?"

Clark rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "Well, during the Thanagarian fiasco…"

* * *

Martha had given Rachel a quick tour around the house, and then led her to Clark's old room. During the Thanagarian invasion, the only thing keeping Rachel awake was adrenaline and focus. Now with that gone, she had nothing left in tank. After thanking Martha for her hospitality, Rachel plopped onto the bed, and fell asleep instantly. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to get much sleep as she violently woke up, gasping for breath. Cold sweat ran down her face as she remembered the nightmares that plagued her sleeping mind. After wiping her tears off her face and getting her breathing back to normal. She looked at the clock; she had only slept for three hours. She sighed as she realized she wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep. She got out of bed and went to take a shower. Afterwards she noticed she had been wearing the same clothes for the past few days, and it was starting to show.

_Good going Rach_, she thought to herself, _this _is _how a lady is supposed to carry herself. _She rubbed her chin, think of a way to quickly wash her clothes. She looked around the bathroom, and she snapped her fingers, an idea striking her. Rachel filled the bathtub with water, and soaked all of her clothes in it. After making sure they were soaked evenly. Rachel picked up her dripping T-shirt, and then turned it intangible; water fell back into the tub as if it was poured in from a bucket. Rachel examined her shirt, satisfied that it's now completely clean and dry. _Wow that work better than I'd hoped_, she thought repeated the process with her other clothes.

After getting dressed, Rachel walked downstairs to see Martha Kent sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of tea. The latter looked at the young girl with slight surprise.

"Oh, hello Rachel," She said, "I thought you'd still be asleep."

"Well, I haven't exactly been sleeping well lately." Rachel replied, a little embarrassed.

Martha nodded in apparent understanding. "Well, I'm sure I would too, if I found myself in a different universe." At Rachel's shocked expression, she chuckled. "Clark told Jonathan, and Jonathan told me."

Rachel smiled and nodded. She was grateful that she doesn't have to explain everything again. It gets redundant after a while. Her smile grew bigger when Martha brought out some pancakes.

"Hungry, sweetie?"

Rachel's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "You have _no _idea, ma'am."

* * *

After Rachel finished her breakfast, she offered to clean up with Martha.

"Oh no, thank you dear, but you can look around the barn to see if Jonathan needs any help. Without Kara around, the farm work can be a little hard for a man his age, but," Martha spoke the next few words in a whisper, "don't tell him I said so."

Rachel smiled and nodded. "My lips are sealed." She replied as she traced zipper motion over her mouth. As she reached for the doorknob, she turned around.

"Who's Kara?"

Martha laughed. "Oh I forgot, she's Clark's cousin. She goes by the name of Supergirl sometimes."

Rachel's eyebrows rose. "So she has the same powers as Clark?"

Martha nodded.

"Awesome!" Rachel exclaimed with a grin. As she ran out of the house, Martha called out after her.

"Be careful!" she warned, "It's a little chilly outside."

Rachel looked back as she continued running. "I will, thanks!"

* * *

She found Jonathan in the barn, fixing his tractor, or attempting to at least.

"Hi, Mister Kent," Rachel said, "Need a hand?"

Jonathan sighed, and then looked at her. "Know anything about fixing tractors."

"Hmm," Rachel knelt down, examining the tractor. The machine was definitely old, grime and spots of rust appeared on almost every surface. She looked at back at Jonathan. "What seems to be the problem?"

"The old girl would move a few inches," Mister Kent explained, "and then she would die on me."

"Hmm, okay, let take me take a closer look." She turned back to the tractor and activated her holographic interface. Jonathan raised an eyebrow at the sight of the small visor-like device. Looking through the interface, Rachel saw various parts of tractor being outlined, small bits of text appeared all over the place. Then a red outline caught her attention, she zoomed in on it as she realized the problem. Smiling she turned back to Mister Kent. "There's a bolt loose in the engine, do you have a 5/16th wrench?"

Jonathan rummaged in his toolbox, and handed Rachel the wrench. Turning her arm intangible, she reached into the engine, and tightened the bolt. Satisfied, Rachel took her hand out, and deactivated her interface.

"Okay, try it now." Jonathan turned the key, and the tractor roared into life. Mister Kent sat on the seat, and drove it out of the barn, parking it a few away. He turned it off and looked at Rachel, who followed him out.

"Purrs like a kitten." Mister Kent boasted as he tapped the tractor's chassis.

Rachel couldn't help but giggle. "If you say so Mister Kent."

"By the way," Jonathan wondered, "How did you find the problem so quick?"

The ghost girl shrugged. "Technology, Mister Kent, it does wonders."

"Well, you do have a point," he agreed, "but I'm just too old of all the gadgets and gizmos."

"So, still need help with anything?"

"Actually, yes…"

* * *

_Ahhh… this never gets old, _thought Kara Zor-El Kent, aka Supergirl, as she flew through the air, performing various aerial maneuvers as she did so. Kara was flying back to the Kent farm from Gotham city, where she'd been keeping her friend Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, company during the Thanagarian occupation. Once Batman had returned, she decided to go home before the Detective kicked her out of "_his_" city.

Once she reached the farm, she rushed into her room using her super speed, changing out of her costume, walked out of her room wearing a plain white T-shirt and jeans. Before Kara walked back down stairs, she noticed that the door to Clark's room was partially open. _That's odd _she thought. Did this mean that her cousin was here? If he was, why didn't he call her on her to let her know that he was back?

Kara walked down stairs and when she found Martha, she asked her question.

"Um, is Clark here?"

Martha looked at Kara. "Yes he was, but he just came by to drop off a guest."

"We have a guest?" Kara cried, suddenly worried. Clark was always lecturing her about not using her powers in Smallville. She hoped that this guest hadn't seen her flying in.

"Clark brought her here this morning," Martha explained, "before heading back to Metropolis. Her name is Rachel; by the way, she's going to be staying here for a few days."

"Does she know about…" Kara etched a diamond shape on her shirt, the outline of the"S-shield" on Superman's uniform.

"Apparently Rachel flew here herself, right alongside you cousin." Martha looked Kara in the eye. "But be gentle with her okay? She's had a rough time lately."

Kara nodded, and headed outside. Her mind was brimming with questions. What was Rachel like? What other powers did she have? Was she an alien like her? Was she a hero also?

* * *

She walked into the entrance of the barn, but then froze. Floating a few feet the rafters of the barn was a girl about her age with long flowing white hair. She had just finished stacking a hay bale when she turned back to Jonathan.

"Is that all of them, Mister Kent?"

"Yep, that's all of 'em." Jonathan replied.

The white-haired girl turned her head and saw Kara walk up behind him. "Oh, hello" she said in a sweet voice as she floated back down to the ground. Jonathan turned to look at his adopted daughter. "You must be Kara…"

Kara simply nodded, still looking in awe at the girl in front of her, taking in her stunning blue eyes. It was slightly difficult for her to look at the girl's hair; it's like the locks themselves were emitting light.

"Nice to meet you." The girl held out her hand. "I'm Rachel. Rachel Robertson."

Kara didn't respond as she looked suspiciously at the scar on the other girl's face. Wondering what the story was behind it.

Rachel smiled, and tilted her head slightly, eyeing the blonde girl's blank stare. "Uhm, Kara? You there?"

At the words, Kara blinked several times. "Wh-What?"

"You were kind of zoning out there, sweetheart." Jonathan informed.

"Oh I, Uh." Kara exclaimed as she cheeks turned pink.

Rachel just kept her warm smile. "It's okay Kara, relax." Kara did so after taking a deep breath. Then the two girls shook heads.

Jonathan yawned as he stretched, causing both teens to look at him. "Sorry," he said, "but I'm going to take a nap inside. Old age is a pain." He grumbled the last part.

* * *

After he left the barn, Rachel turned to Kara.

"So," she began, "I was told that you're cousin, huh? Can you fly too?"

Kara, having recovered from her mishap, lifted herself a few feet off the ground. Rachel expressed a grin on her face, showing perfectly white teeth.

"That's so cool."

Kara looked her confusingly. "Why are you impressed? Ma told me you flew here with Clark."

"True," Rachel said as she floated up to Kara's level, "But I've always thought flying was cool. There's just something about it that always makes me feel…" she rubbed her chin as she tried to find the right word, "…relaxed."

Kara smiled at Rachel; she felt the same way.

"Well," Rachel spoke again as she look at the floor of the barn, it was littered with dirt and hay. "Now I gotta sweep out the barn."

* * *

Before Kara could ask how Rachel planned to do it. The girl straightened her arms at a slight downward angle, palms facing the floor; a second later, blue energy glowed from her hands. Kara's eyes widened as she looked at Rachel's hands, and then to the floor. The floor was now being covered by a thin layer of swirling energy, with all the dirt and hay resting on top of it. Rachel raised her arms as she flipped her hands, palm facing the ceiling, as she did so, the platform rose a few feet. Then Rachel pushed her arms forward, sending the platform out of the barn. As the platform disappeared a few feet away, the dirt and hay fell to the ground in a series of thuds, leaving the floor of the barn was now spotless.

Rachel smiled as she admired her handiwork. Then she turned to see Kara staring at her, eyes threatening to burst from her sockets.

"That was awesome!"

Rachel shrugged as her cheeks turn slightly pink. "Awe, thanks Kara."

Kara then flew right up to Rachel, fist clenched in front of her, giddy with anticipation. "You _gotta _tell how you did that?"

"Um," Rachel replied, "it's kind of a long story."

"I can get some snacks." Offered Kara.

"Oo! Okay."

* * *

A few hours past as Kara listened to Rachel tell her about her world, her powers, as well her adventures as a Guardian.

"So is your sensory like enhanced senses, like Clark and I?" asked Kara.

"Well, not exactly," Rachel replied, "I don't have super hearing or a bazillion kinds of visions. My sensory allows me to get a scope of my surroundings."

The blonde Kryptonian nodded, and Rachel continued. "It's like a sixth sense; I can feel when people are approaching near my position. It really helps when someone is trying to sneak on me too, but it's up to me to act upon them, I can be fooled if I lose focus."

"How far can you sense things?" Kara wanted to know.

Rachel rubbed her chin for a second. "Hmmm, I can find out." With that, the ghost-girl narrowed her eyes as she stared at the horizon. A few seconds later, she looked back at Kara. "There's a town that way." She said as she jerked her head to indicate the direction. "I got about half way through."

"That's a mile and a half." Kara calculated as her eyes widened again. Rachel smiled as she shrugged.

* * *

Next Rachel told Kara about her world. Kara was amazed to hear how the living coexisted with the dead. In her mind, those were as opposite as it could get. One other thing that caught her interest were the Halfas, Kara figured they had the best of both worlds, empowered by aspects from both the living and the dead. Kara was also surprised to hear that there were floating islands in Rachel's world.

"Wait, how is that even possible?" she questioned skeptically. She realized that Argos, Krypton's sister planet and Kara's former homeworld, had similar levitation technology. However it was nothing compared to how Rachel described them.

"The islands were the result of the coexistence, "Rachel explained, "I guess the energies of both the living and dead sort of altered the laws of physics."

Kara still had trouble believing it, but she nodded, signaling for Rachel to continue. Kara had been like a little kid at story time; neither her cousin nor Batgirl told her stories like this. In fact, Flash was the only hero that consistently told her stories, and she was pretty sure he stretched the truth on all of them.

* * *

Rachel was now telling her a story from her days as a Guardian. Kara was completely shocked at hearing that she had started out when she was only eight years old. It's possible that Rachel has more experience than any hero she knows. At the moment, Rachel was struggling to refrain from laughing as she recounted a particular event involving her cousin, Robin.

"… So after we took out the band of goons and robots, Robin wanted to go that extra mile and make sure that all the robots were properly deactivated, he then…" Rachel was losing at it, and Kara cut in.

"He then _what_?" she asked a little impatiently.

After steadying herself, Rachel continued. "So then he kicked a robot and…and oil exploded out of it, splash his entire front side! I swear his skin turned grey for weeks."

They both laughed hysterically before Rachel add, "He couldn't get it off no matter how hard he _scrubbed_!"

They laughed again for another few second. After they finished, Kara shook her head, grinning. "You've had the craziest adventures." Then her expression that turned serious as her grin disappeared. Leaning forward slightly, she asked. "So is it true you want to be a hero anymore?"

Rachel sighed. She knew that question was coming. Steeling herself, she answered. "I never really said that, I-I just." Her voice trailed off, she thought she could say why she wanted to give being a protector, but she couldn't. Rachel decided to counter with her own question.

"Do you know what it's like to lose everyone that you ever cared about?"

Kara looked at her for a moment, and then looked at her feet. "I do, actually."

Rachel's eyes widen at Kara's answered. "Really?"

Kara looked at the ghost-girl. "Did Clark tell you about what happened to our home planet, Krypton?"

Rachel nodded. Since Rachel told the League her story, Clark thought it was only fair to tell her his own."

"Well, when Krypton exploded, I was on Argos, Krypton's twin; it had been thrown out of orbit, and was freezing over. We didn't have long before we would all die. Most of us were put into stasis so that there would be food and supplies for the scientists that were working on a way to save everyone else. It didn't work."

Tears began to form in the corners of Kara's eyes, she quickly blinked them away.

"When Clark found me, I was the only survivor; all of the other stasis pods had failed." She looked back at Rachel. "What happened to you?"

Now it was Rachel's turn to look at her feet. "An old enemy attacked my home." She paused for a moment, and then looked Kara in the eye. "I was the only survivor too."

Kara looked at Rachel in shock; the former was fighter hard to hold back her tears. The Kyptonian had no idea they had shared similar tragic experiences. However Kara had several years to grieve and come to terms with it. Rachel only had a couple of days.

* * *

The two girls sat in silence for a few minutes, admiring the red color of the setting sun. After the sun disappeared, Rachel and Kara floated back to the ground. After they headed indoor, Martha smiled at them, but did a slight double-take at Rachel.

"Rachel? Is that you?"

Kara looked at her adopted mother, and then at Rachel, confusion on her face. "Rach?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry." Said Rachel as her blue rings appeared again, turning her back into a human.

Kara saw Rachel's eyes are now green and her hair a light brown. The Kryptonian looked absolutely stunned. "Wait, so you're…"

"Yeah, I'm a Hafla too. Sorry I didn't mention that earlier." Rachel said with an apologetic smile.

The Kents and their guest then enjoyed a lovely dinner. Rachel was happy to see how strong the Kents' family bonds. No wonder Superman was so happy to see his family. The thought stung Rachel a bit as she remembered her family, but she quickly brushed it aside. She decided to share few more stories, bring up even more questions from Kara.

"Wait," she said as if want to make sure she heard correctly, "So that Nerve Pinch thing really does work?"

Rachel thought for a moment. "Well, you have to do just right. Otherwise the person just turns around and sees you there looking like an idiot."

"Whoa," was Kara said in response.

After dinner, Rachel and Kara headed towards their rooms. It had been a long day, and both were drained emotionally from their experiences.

* * *

_Rachel knew where she was. She had been calling this place home for the past ten years. Landing on the ground, she looked at the horrible sight in front of her. The fire seemed to bore into her eyes. Bodies and puddles of green liquid laid everywhere. Without hesitation she ran, a terrible fear gripping her. Then she saw them, three puddles of liquid laid on the ground next to a body. She knew what those puddles used to be, she had spent her entire life with them. Then she looked at the body, a pained and shocked was clearly visible on the face. Her knee buckled as she collapsed, tears flowing down her face. This couldn't be happening! WHY?! Then she heard laughter, a humorless, sadistic laughter that would forever be imbedded in her ears…_

"_No!_" Rachel sat up straight on the bed, drenched in cold sweat, tears falling down her cheeks. After slowing her breathing she looked at the clock, 1 AM. Rachel sighed as she realized she'd only slept for four hours. She wiped the tears away, and then sat on the edge of the bed. After she did so, she covered her face with her hands, trying to shake the effects of the nightmare out of her. She was wearing a white nightgown that Martha had loaned her. She looked up from her hands when she heard the door open.

"Rachel?"

Kara stood in her doorway, wearing her own pink nightgown. Her face was contorted with concern. Thanks to her super hearing, she had heard the Halfa moaning and softly crying in her sleep. After a few minutes, she heard Rachel cry out, and rushed into her room.

Rachel stared at Kara for a moment, and then she gripped the edge of the bed as she hung her head, sobbing and whimpering. Kara widened her eyes and froze a moment, and then sat down next to the ghost-girl and wrapped her in a tight embrace. Rachel continued to cry into Kara's shoulder. Kara let a few of her own tears fall, both for those she had lost, and for her friend.

They stayed there for a long time; alien and ghost, brought together by loss.

* * *

**A/N: There you go! Second Chapter is done. I would like to inform you readers that I'll be starting school soon. So it might hinder my update rate, for that I apologize.**

**For those that are concerned, Rachel's holographic interface is similar to Iron Man's helmet display. I hope that illustrates it better for you guys.**

**Regarding some of your questions: Rachel is not a version of Danny Phantom, she is her own person. I won't spoil too much, but yes, Danny will be in this story. As for her powers, I am considering adding more, I'll cross that road when I get to it.**

**Next Chapter would bring more action than this one. Stay frosty, and remember to review. Thanks a lot!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I just want to confirm, I don't own anything Danny Phantom or DC.**

**Just in case you didn't know.**

Beacon of Justice

Chapter 3

Kara stayed with Rachel for most the night, she only left when she knew the Kents would be waking up. Just before she opened the door however, she turned back to looked at the sleeping girl. She couldn't help smiling at how peaceful Rachel looked, just a few hours ago, the Halfa was sobbing uncontrollably, and completely distraught. Kara's smile faded when she realized she might've been staring for a bit too long and exited the room.

The next few days might not have been eventful, but they were very soothing for Rachel. She spent every day helping the Kents with chores and farm work, completing them was a breeze thanks to her powers. Although she did try to make it a work out for herself, she didn't want to get rusty just because the work was easy.

Rachel had more company than just the Kent family. Superman would visit from Metropolis every other day to check up on her, as well as the other members of the League. Only they came alone, and in their civilian clothes, to avoid suspicion. Batman, however only called the Kent home once, and only briefly. Rachel found the act a bit strange; she never saw the Detective as the comforting type. Still, it did wonders for Rachel's emotional state to find out that there were people who cared for her. She wasn't alone.

After completing her work, she would spend her free time with Kara; usually involving Rachel demonstrating more of her powers, telling more about her world, or more of her adventures. However, today was a special case; Kara had asked Rachel to a sparring match, which the ghost-girl was more than happy to accept. They were currently standing about ten feet apart, eyeing each other intensely. Kara was in a traditional fighting stance. Rachel, however, opted for a more relaxed stance, with her right arm straight forward, slightly bent, with fingers extended, while the left arm was in a fist slightly behind her right.

* * *

Kara made the first move and charged at Rachel, fist cocked back, aiming straight for the ghost-girl's face. Rachel deflected the attack to the side; the momentum of Kara's fist caused the Kryptonian to spin around. Rachel took the opening and lightly pushed Kara back a few feet. The blonde Kryptonian looked at her opponent stunned.

"You were telegraphing." informed Rachel as she got back into her stance.

Kara regained her focus and nodded. "Right."

Kara flew towards her again, this time sending a flurry of punches with blinding speed. Her attacks were making ripples in the air. With some effort, the ghost-girl blocked all of them by making angular movements with her arms. Rachel had to admit, Kara was definitely up there in terms of sheer strength and speed, but she lacked control. If Kara wasn't careful; she might cause more damage than she intended. Rachel lightly tapped Kara in the side of her neck; the Kryptonian reacted slightly at being hit. Seizing the opportunity, the Halfa aimed a haymaker at Kara's cheek. Kara blocked it with her arm, but then she grunted a little as Rachel hit her in the gut. Rachel tapped Kara's neck again, the Kryptonian had moved to block it, but got there a second too late. The Halfa then followed through with an elbow thrust aimed at Kara's throat, but she stopped inches before making contact. They were just sparring after all. Refusing to let up, Rachel extended both her arms, and hit Kara squarely across the chest. The force of the blow Kara off her feet and she toppled over backwards.

"You okay?" Rachel asked concerned.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Kara stood up and brushed the dust off her clothes. "So, what did I do wrong there?"

Rachel blinked. "Hm? Oh! Your eyes were moving all over the place. My advice," Kara looked at Rachel pointed two fingers at her eyes, "keep'em right here."

"Got it." As soon as Kara finished, she swung her leg at Rachel's head. The ghost-girl was barely able to duck under it. _Wow she's fast! _Instinctively, Rachel grabbed Kara's ankle and threw her up into the sky. Kara was able to stop herself after a couple hundred feet. After shaking her head to clear it, the Kryptonian looked down at the ground, trying to locate the Halfa.

"Where'd she go?" she wondered out loud. Suddenly she felt something tug under her armpits, and felt pressure being applied to her neck.

"Ah!" she blurted out in pain. Kara tried to break free, but more she struggled, the more painful it became.

"_Here_ I am." Rachel replied softly as she continued to hold Kara in a Full-Nelson. Kara was trying all she could to break the hold. Rachel had to use most of her strength to keep the Kryptonian from escaping. "Don't try to power of out of it. Just take it easy and-OW!" Rachel couldn't finish her sentence as Kara jerked her head backwards, hitting the ghost-girl directly in the forehead. Rachel let go of Kara and held her forehead. She felt like she was just hit by a wrecking-ball in full swing. Kara seized the opportunity and used her super breath to blow the ghost-girl back towards the Earth. Rachel was still stunned by Kara's last attack, and so couldn't defend herself. She landed on the ground a little harder than she'd liked; the impact sent jolts through her body.

Rachel looked up to see Kara floating leisurely back down to the ground, arms crossed with a smirk on her face.

"Not gonna lie, Kara," she said, getting to her feet, "that _really_ hurt."

Kara's smirk faltered when she saw the light bruise on Rachel's forehead. She didn't mean to hit her that hard. "Sorry," she answered apologetically.

"Don't be." Rachel brushed off with a wave of her hand. Kara blinked at the Halfa in confusion. "You got out of the hold, that's all that matters." Kara smiled at Rachel as the two got back into their stances. "Ready to go again?"

"You bet."

* * *

**Gotham City, The Batcave**

Batman sat at his computer, lost in thought. He had barely left his chair since Rachel had left with Clark. He had even entrusted Batgirl and Robin to cover more patrol duties for him, much to the surprise of both his young partners. He stared at the image on his computer. An image of Rachel Robertson stared back.

Bruce heard footsteps approaching from behind him, but he didn't turn around. Thanks to years of training, the Detective knew how to recognize the pattern of an individual's footsteps, and even without training, he knew those footsteps anywhere.

"Hello, Alfred."

"You got me again, sir."

"You tried leading with your left foot again." Batman smirked. "It's been awhile since you tried to fool me."

"With all due respect, sir, I was worried that your project concerning Miss Rachel had distracted you from all else."

Bruce looked up as his butler placed a tray of food next to him. After looking at the time, he realized he needed to eat too. Bringing his attention back to the screen, he began typing with one hand, while picking up his food with the other. Alfred simply stood behind him and waited.

"What is it, Alfred?"

"Sir," The Butler began with a hint of nervousness in his voice, "Rachel Robertson is not Bruce Wayne."

Bruce turned around and gave his butler a sharp look. "Are you so sure, Alfred? She lost her family, and the girl she loved, everyone who was important to her. How is she not like me?"

"I suppose this is why are you are helping her?"

"When my parents died, I was left millions of dollars, I was the heir to an incredibly successful company, and I had a home. Rachel comes from another universe. She has nothing. This way, she can at least have an identity. She can have a normal life."

"Are you going to bribe her into joining your cause?"

Bruce sighed, and paused for a moment. "No, I am not. But if she decides to give up the life of a hero and start over, I can give her the foundation to do it."

Alfred nodded. "I understand, sir."

Batman resumed typing for a moment, and then printed out a piece of paper, which he handed to the butler.

"Call Superman," he instructed, "tell him to give this to Rachel before he tries to introduce her to anyone."

* * *

**Kent Farm**

The sun was setting as Rachel and Kara stared at each other. After sparring for hours, both girls were panting heavily, and slightly scuffled. Rachel was impressed at how well Kara performed, even though her technique was still somewhat rough around the edges, she made up for it with sheer power. The few hits that Kara landed on Rachel were still aching. Kara still felt overwhelmed by the Halfa's superior fighting skills; she'd lost count of how many times she felt Rachel's fists make contact with her body. Although Rachel wasn't as strong as the Kryptonian, she was equal to her in speed, if not faster. The ghost-girl took a deep breath and stood upright.

Kara raised an eyebrow, but didn't break from her stance. "Uh, what are you doing?"

"It's getting late," replied Rachel as she walked towards Kara, "we should get back."

"_What?_" Kara exclaimed. "Aww, come on! We can go for a little longer."

Rachel gave Kara a small smile. "I get that you're excited, but rest is just as important as training. Besides, I don't want Mister and Misses Kent to worry."

"I'll be fine, and there's nothing to worry about. C'mon _Please_." Rachel just stared at the other girl; Kara was acting like a child being told that she had to leave the playground. In all honesty, it was kind of cute.

"_Kara,_" Rachel said slowly. "Don't make me pinch you." As she said it, the Halfa made a pinching motion with her thumb and index finger.

This made Kara roll her eyes. "Like _that_ can do anything," she doubted with a smirk, "I'm a Kryptonian, I'm-"

Before Kara could finish her sentence, her eyes widened in shock as her body seized up. Rachel looked over Kara's shoulder and saw her duplicate appear out of thin air behind her, pinching the base of Kara neck. As soon as the duplicate released her grip on Kara, the unconscious Kryptonian toppled forward; Rachel reacted quickly and caught her. Rachel exchanged looks with her duplicate; the latter smiled at the dozing Kara and shook her head before disappearing. Then Rachel turned back into a human, and held Kara in a bridal carry as she walked back into the Kent's home.

* * *

A week had passed since Rachel had arrived at the Kent farm, and on the morning of seventh day, she had a pleasant surprise.

She had actually slept through the entire night. Thinking more deeply, she realized she had slept more soundly ever since her first night at the Kent's.

The nightmares were still there however, so her sleep wasn't exactly restful. Still, it's better than waking up crying in middle of the night.

After showering and cleaning her clothes with intangibility (She really needed to get some new clothes), she headed downstairs. She was mildly surprised to find Clark at the table, sipping a cup of coffee, and dressed in civilian clothes.

"Morning, Rach." The Man of Steel called casually, "How'd you sleep?"

"Better than usual," Rachel replied, "but that's not saying much."

"Still having nightmares?"

Rachel sighed as she joined Clark at the table. "I don't know if I'll ever get rid of them, but honestly, part of me doesn't want to."

Clark blinked a few times, confused. "Why wouldn't you want to…"

"Because…the nightmares are worth waking up at night if it means I can see them. When they died… There was nothing left." Rachel looked down at her hands, sadness falling over her.

Clark wanted to quickly change the subject, and slid a piece of paper across the table to her.

"Batman asked me to give this to you." He smiled timidly. "I doubt I was supposed to read it, but I got curious."

Rachel raised an eyebrow at the Man of Steel. "So much for you being a boy scout."

Clark gave a light chuckled, remember Flash saying something similar after the Justice League defeat the Justice Lords, their evil, parallel-dimension counterparts.

"Never even got my first merit badge." He said before taking another sip of his coffee.

Rachel chuckled, and then studied the paper in front of her. Her eyes widened as she read. It was a short summary of her life. Only, she knew it wasn't _her _life. Instead, it was the life of Rachel Robertson existed in this universe. The details on the paper were vague, but Rachel realized she was given a rough draft of a new life.

According to the paper, her entire family had recently died in a tragic accident (which wasn't entirely wrong), and while she was waiting to receive property that had belonged to her family, she was staying with the Kents, who were apparently family friends.

Rachel blinked. _Wait, what property? _She looked over at Clark, who just shrugged.

"Guess he's looking out for you."

Rachel smiled a little. "Aww, that's really sweet."

Clark grinned as well. "Bruce might not act like it, but he's one of the most caring people on the planet. He once changed the retirement policy throughout Wayne Industries just so one employee didn't have to retire."

"Aww." Rachel responded as she put a hand over her heart. While she realized that Batman wasn't all Bruce Wayne was, she never figured the man could be _that_ nice. Rachel would have to return the favor someday.

After a moment of awkward silence, Clark asked, "Say, Rachel, you haven't seen much of Metropolis, right? I mean other than when you first arrived in this universe."

Rachel smirked at a little at Clark. "You mean Metropolis _without _Thanagarians invading it? No, I haven't."

Clark smiled. "Yeah, alien invaders don't exactly attract tourists. Anyway, I figured that I'd show you around the place. After all, a week on a farm could get boring."

Rachel didn't necessarily agree. She didn't mind being on the Kent farm. She was actually pretty happy when she was staying with them. The Kents were very good people, and the chores weren't at all any difficult. It was only yesterday that things were starting to change. Kara's school had reopened, which meant the world had mostly recovered from the Thanagarian invasion. Thus, Rachel's newest friend had to finish her last few months of high school. Rachel admittedly was a little saddened that now she had to spend her free time alone. She thought she could pass the time by excising, but there are only so many push-ups she could do before it got incredibly boring, also sparring with a duplicate was redundant as they could both counter each other's moves perfectly.

Rachel shrugged. "It wouldn't hurt to sightsee. After all, Metropolis doesn't exist back home."

Clark nodded and grinned. "Great. I can introduce you to a few friends of mine. You should probably leave a note for my parents; tell them you'll be with me for a couple of days."

As Clark got up to change into his costume, Rachel quickly went up to her room, where she grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil. She quickly wrote a note explaining to the elder Kents where she was going, and that she would return in a few days

She then remembered she should leave a note for Kara. Rachel wondered if she was still a little upset at how their sparring match abruptly ended. After writing the same thing on the note, she added.

_P.S._

_Sorry about pinching you, but I'd love to spar with you again sometime._

_Thanks for being there for me,_

_Rachel_

Before the Halfa went back down stairs, she slid the note to Kara under her door. She got back down the stairs to see Superman waiting near the door, already in his costume and tapping his foot impatiently. Rachel quickly placed the note on the kitchen table and changed into her ghost form.

They then flew off at leisurely pace, not in any real hurry to get to Metropolis. Superman pointed at a building below them.

"We're passing over Kara's school; she just waved at us."

Rachel look at the direction Superman was, but unlike the Man of Steel, she didn't have super vision, and therefore she could only see small squares below. She activated her holographic interface, and zoomed in to find Kara smiling up at them. Rachel smiled back and waved at Kara, who waved back.

Rachel and Superman resumed their course. After a moment, the Man of Steel turned his attention to the Halfa.

"Is there anything that visor _can't _do?"

Rachel laughed and shrugged. "Don't know. It hasn't failed me yet."

Superman nodded in understanding.

"By the way, how did you know that I having nightmares?" asked Rachel.

Superman's eyes shot forward for a moment. "I got home about an hour before you woke up." Then tapping his ear, he continued. "Super hearing."

"Ah." Rachel replied in understanding.

* * *

**The city of Metropolis**

Clark guided Rachel back to his apartment, where Clark quickly changed back into his civilian attire. Rachel, however simply let her blue rings do the job for her.

Rachel looked around Clark's home. "Nice place." She praised.

"Thanks." Clark replied, "It's not bad for a reporter's home."

Rachel nodded; remembering that Martha had told her that Clark worked part-time as a journalist.

"Oh, one more thing," said Clark as he reached into his pocket, he putted out a small circular object and handed it to Rachel, "here."

Rachel took it and recognized it as a cosmetic compact. "Make up?" she asked as she looked at Clark. "What, am I not pretty enough for you?"

Clark's cheeks flushed pink at Rachel's words. "N-no, it was just that Bruce thought that covering the scar would avoid attention."

Rachel saw the logic in Batman's suggestion, but it still felt a little awkward. "Um, okay…" she replied slowly as she opened the compact and started to apply the make-up with the built-in mirror.

A few minutes later, Rachel looked back at Clark. "How do I look?"

Clark smiled at the girl. "Don't even notice it."

Rachel returned the smile as Clark grabbed his briefcase, and then they both left the apartment, where they took a cab ride to Clark's office. As they exited the taxi, Rachel starred amazed at the building in front of her. She remembered seeing the golden planetoid sculpture that stood on top the Daily Planet.

Rachel turned back to Clark. "You know something? This is the first building I saw when I first got _here_."

Clark understood her meaning and grinned. "Well, now you can use it as a landmark."

Before Rachel could respond, she saw a woman waving at them. Rachel saw Clark's eyes light up at the sight of her, and smiled a little. The Halfa could understand why, the woman had a good figure, long black hair, and a very pretty face. She wore a purple dress jacket and a short, white skirt. Even Rachel had to admit that she was slightly attracted to the woman.

"Hey, Smallville." The woman greeted.

Rachel chuckled at the nickname as she looked at Clark. "_Smallville?_"

Clark's cheeks turned pink. "Yeah, yeah, it's _very_ funny." He said remarked sarcastically.

Rachel patted Clark on the shoulder, attempting to comfort the man. "No, no, it's cute actually."

The woman smiled at Rachel before turning back to Clark. "So, who's your friend?"

Rachel took the initiative, and held out her hand. "Rachel Robertson, pleasure to meet you Miss…"

"Lois Lane." She finished as the two shook hands. "So, how'd you know Smallville?"

Rachel frowned as she tried to remember the details of Bruce's paper. "Well, I… My…"

Clark noticed his friend's discomfort and stepped in. "Lois, Rachel's family died in an accident, she's been staying with my family."

Lois put a hand to her mouth, and then put both hands on Rachel's shoulders.

"I'm so sorry."

Rachel smiled slightly. "I'll be fine, but thank you."

Lois nodded, and then turned to address them both.

"Let's go Smallville, we can give the young lady a tour of the place."

Clark nodded, and then guided Rachel inside the building.

* * *

Rachel surveyed the huge office. The Daily Planet must be a very successful newspaper if they had _this_ amount of space to work in. Even the Batcave wasn't this big. The room had high ceilings, a great view of Metropolis, and every reporter had an enormous desk at their stations.

Clark and Lois had introduced more people working at the Planet. One of which was a young man around her age named Jimmy Olson. Jimmy was a photographer, mostly worked with Clark and Lois. Rachel thought that Jimmy was a nice guy, maybe a little timid, but that's understandable considering where and who he worked with.

At the moment, Jimmy was being criticized be Lois over something that he had done, while Clark was trying to defend him. Rachel smiled at the group; she remembered how she used to be chewed out over the tiniest details. Then the memory saddened Rachel, because usually Robin and Jonah were with her. However it wasn't as painful to think about them anymore, because she had the support from every member of Justice League, the Kents, and Kara. The time she has spent with them acted like her own therapy, each day became easier to think about. She still had a long way to go, but she was definitely getting better.

While the three journalists argued, Rachel looked at the walls. Every few feet or so was a framed copy of past Daily Planets, with the oldest one dating back several years. Rachel noticed the article had the first official appearance of Superman on it. Other front-pagers also featured stories on either Superman or the Justice League, all of which seemed to be written by either Lois or Clark. The Halfa smirked whenever she saw Clark's name under an article featuring Superman. _No wonder they're on the wall. His interviews are as exclusive as it could get!_

Further thought was interrupted as a balding, middle-age man ran up to his three employees.

"What is it, Perry?" asked Clark, seeing the concern on the man's face.

"I've been told that Bizarro is heading in this general direction." Judging from everyone's tease reaction, Rachel guessed that this _Bizarro _must be a super villain, and a powerful one at that. Perry continued.

"Lane, Kent. Take Olson and get down there in case Superman shows up. And _you,_ young lady," The old man gave at Rachel a steely look, "Don't go anywhere, and don't touch anything. Got it?" Rachel gave Perry a mock two-finger salute.

"Smallville," said Lois as she hurried to her, "you and Jimmy go first, I need to get my stuff."

The two men nodded and ran off.

Rachel walked up to Lois as she continued to gather he things.

"So," Rachel began hesitantly, "how bad is this Bizarro guy?"

Lois gave the young girl a quizzical look.

"Think of Superman," explained the journalist, "but only twisted, evil, and stupid."

Rachel's eyebrows shot upwards, after seeing how powerful Superman was, this supposed evil twin of his could do a lot of damage.

Suddenly, Rachel and Lois heard an explosion. They ran down the hallway to see what caused it, as they turned the corner. Lois stopped abruptly and pulled Rachel behind her. The younger girl leaned her head out the corner, and saw tall green mechanical figures walking down the hall. Rachel squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again; she wanted to make sure she wasn't just seeing things.

Pulling her head back, Rachel asked Lois in whisper. "Uh, why are there man-sized toy soldiers in the building?"

"Toyman." Lois hissed as she waited for the solders to pass.

"_Who?_"

"Just another psychopath," replied Lois, and then she glanced at the girl with a serious look. "Rachel, run. I'll go get help."

Rachel realized what she meant by 'help'. "But isn't _he_ busy?"

Lois' expression didn't change. "He'll come for me. Now GO."

Rachel nodded and ran. Lois watched her disappear down the hallway before turning to run in the opposite direction. Before she was able get too far, a pair of toy soldiers blocked her path. Lois stopped and quickly turned around, but another pair of soldiers stood in her way, and in front of them, was short man wearing a plastic mask with a creepy, sadistic smile.

"Ah, Miss Lane." Toyman said in a child-like voice, it was as creepy as his mask. "I 'm glad you could play with us."

"What do you want?" questioned Lois fearlessly.

Toyman chuckled, sending chills down Lois' spine, but she didn't let her fear show.

"I'm going to deal with you while our old friend Superman is busy with Bizarro."

Lois eyed the short man with hatred. "How'd you get Bizarro to work with you?"

"Oh, it was quite simple," replied Toyman. "You'd be surprised at what he would do if you just promise to play with him and offer a chance to kill the Boy Scout."

Toyman then snapped his fingers; the two toy soldiers behind Lois walked forward and grabbed her arms. She tried to shake out of their grasp, but their grip on her was solid.

"Let go of me!" Lois snapped.

"Oh no no no," answered the short man, "I have plans for you." He then turned around and walked down the hallway. The toy soldiers that followed him first made an opening for him to pass, and then turned to follow him. The soldiers holding Lois starting walking as well, with Lois futilely trying to get free.

* * *

Rachel ran into the women's bathroom, where she leaned on the sink, and stared into her reflection in the mirror. She needed to think for a moment. She knew that she had the power to stop this Toyman attacking the Daily Planet, but was she ready to do this again? How can she protect the general population if she couldn't protect the ones she loved most?

Then the memory came back to her, she remembered why she became a Guardian in the first place. Helping those in need wasn't just her duty; it was her passion, her drive. Her decision was clear, checking to see that whole restroom was empty. She turned into her ghost form, and phased out of the room. Then, she turned invisible and flew throughout the building.

After a moment, Rachel noticed a purse on the ground. As she stopped to examine it, her eyes widened as she recognized that it belonged to Lois. Something must have happened to her. Rachel realized that she needed to find Lois fast, she created three duplicates and they all scattered in different directions.

"LET ME GO!"

Rachel heard someone scream, and without hesitation she released the hold on her duplicates, and flew down the hallway. As she rounded the corner, she saw Lois being dragged by two toy soldiers. Rachel rushed forward, and punched one soldier's head clean off its body, leaving frayed and sparking wires. Then spun quickly in mid-air and kicked the second toy soldier directly in the chest. The force was so hard, the soldier's metal chest caved in immensely. Both machines released Lois after being destroyed. Toyman and his two remaining soldiers had stopped and turned as the short man noticed that the two soldiers holding Lois were now bits of scrap metal.

"Wha-" Toyman couldn't finish as two blue energy blasts seemed to appear out of thin air. Destroying the last two toy soldiers behind him, and then the short man shouted in pain as he was sent flying backwards, landing spread-eagled on the floor a few feet away.

Lois was in complete shock. A second ago she being dragged to possibly certain death, now she was standing in surrounded by bits of metal, and an unconscious man-child a few feet away. Lois wasn't stupid; she knew someone had saved her, whoever it was, was just invisible at the moment.

"Um, you can come out now." Lois said slowly. "Please?"

Silence littered the hallway; Lois thought that who or whatever saved her had left. When she suddenly saw something appeared in front of her, causing her to shriek and jump back a few feet.

"You okay, Miss?" Rachel asked.

Lois stared at this _girl_ standing in front of her, eyes wide as cue balls, she was at a complete lost for words. The white-haired girl walked up to Lois, and handed her back her purse.

"You dropped this," the girl explained, "Luckily I got here in time."

Lois just stared into the girl's blue eyes, and then she noticed the scar on her left eye. "S-so," she stuttered, "this was your doing?"

Rachel nodded as she walked away from Lois and towards the unconscious Toyman. After picking him up, Rachel turned back to glance at Lois, who hasn't moved a muscle. "The authorities should be here soon, I'd suggest you exit the building." She turned intangible and started phase through the floor.

"Wait!" Lois yelled finally.

Rachel's still-intangible head popped back up onto the floor. "Yes?" she responded with a small smile.

"C-can't you at least tell me your name? So I can thank you properly?"

Rachel paused for a moment before responding. "My name isn't important, and there's no need to thank me. You stay safe now." With that she disappeared through the floor. Lois stared wide-eyed at the spot for a few seconds, before she too exited the building.

**There we are! Chapter three is done. Looks like Rachel is really protect the world again. I want to take a moment to thank all of you again for the faves, follows, and reviews.**

**Now I'll admit, writing the fight scenes were tough. I was easy imagining how it would look, but translating that into words was a challenge.**

**If you have questions, comments, and concerns. Feel free to pass it to me. Until then, I'll see you all next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the OCs. Now without further ado, here is chapter four!**

Beacon of Justice

Chapter 4

The authorities were outside the Daily Planet when Lois exited the building. She noticed a group of Police Officers huddled around the base of the stairs. Lois moved in to get a closer look, and she saw that the Officers were huddled around Toyman, who was still unconscious, with a note on his shirt.

_Fragile, handle with care_

Lois smiled a little when she realized that this was the work of her mysterious savior. Before she had another thought, however, someone shouted behind her.

"Lois!" she turned just in time to see Rachel fling herself at her, holding her in a tight embrace. "Oh, thank goodness you're okay."

"Uh, yeah, I'm-I'm fine." was all Lois could say.

The younger girl released Lois, but didn't take her eyes off her as words flew out of her mouth.

"What happened in there? I did what you said and ran outside, but you never came out. And Superman never got here, I-I was just so worried."

Lois held out both hands. "Whoa, slow down, take it easy." Rachel complied and took a breath. After the younger girl had calmed down, Lois resumed. "I tried to call for help, but Toyman found me."

Rachel gasped as she put both hands to her mouth. "Oh my g- Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm okay, and no, he didn't." Lois answered. "He and his robots were trying to take me somewhere, before…." Her words trailed off as someone shouted nearby.

"Lois! Rachel!"

The two ladies turned to see Clark and Jimmy running at them. Their faces filled with worry.

"What happened here?" Clark asked as Jimmy bent over trying to catch his breath. They must've been running for a while.

"Toyman shook up the place and tried to kidnap me." Lois firmly replied. Clark and Jimmy looked at the woman stunned.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked, concerned. "Did he do anything to you?"

"Yes I am _fine_," Lois responded exasperatedly, "and _no_; he _didn't_, because someone saved me."

Jimmy gave Lois a quizzical look. Clark however glanced at Rachel, who just shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, who saved you?" asked Jimmy.

Lois thought for a moment, she was still trying to put the pieces together. "I don't know, I didn't get her name, but she was a teenager with white hair, blue eyes, and a scar over her eye. She could apparently turn invisible, go through solid objects, and shoot out beams of energy."

Jimmy whistled. "Was she cute?" Clark elbowed him slightly.

Lois narrowed her eyes at the photographer before turning to Clark. "Listen, Smallville, I think I'm gonna call it a day. See you guys tomorrow." She turned and started to walk away from them.

"Yeah," Clark replied, "Stay safe, Lois." She waved her hand at Clark's words, but didn't turn around.

* * *

Awhile later, Clark and Rachel began to walk back to his apartment. Along the way, Clark asked Rachel for more details about what happened in the Daily Planet. After the ghost-girl told him, Clark paused for a minute.

"Thank you for saving her, I wish I could've done it myself, but Bizarro wouldn't back down."

Rachel smiled at the man. "It was no problem; it was the right thing to do."

"So does this mean you're back in the hero game?"

Rachel looked at Clark for a minute, and then nodded. "Like I said, it's the right thing to do."

Clark smiled as he nodded in return. He was glad to see that Rachel had found some of her old fire. Her condition had definitely improved over the past few days.

As the two continued to walk, Rachel had to know something.

"So does Lois know about the…" Rachel placed her fists on her hips, mimicking the pose that she'd seen Superman make in several photos.

Clark chuckled and shook his head. "No, she doesn't know who I am, and I hope that she never finds out, for her sake; I don't want her to get in any more danger than she already is."

Rachel thought about this for a moment; Clark's worry did made sense, but there was one thing that stood out to her: it seemed that Lois Lane was already in as much danger as possible. From what she was told by the Kent family during her stay, Lois was always getting kidnapped, falling off of buildings or getting attacked by super villains. Rachel thought that Lois knowing who Superman was wasn't going to make her life any more dangerous, if at all.

"But… you're in love with her, right?"

Clark's head snapped around so fast that Rachel heard his neck make cracking noises. "How could you tell?"

"Oh, just by the fact that your eyes lit up like a Christmas tree the second you saw her." The Halfa replied with a smirk.

Clark scratched the back of his head. "That obvious, huh?"

"Kind of, so what's the problem? Why not just talk to her? You don't have to tell her who you really are."

Clark stared down at his feet. "She has a thing for Superman."

Rachel stopped walking. She blinked several times and then held up her arms. "Wait. So let me get this straight: you like her, but she likes Superman, who by the way is secretly Clark Kent, so therefore Superman must like her too. Did I miss anything?"

Not sure where the Halfa was going with this, Clark only nodded. Rachel sighed.

"So _just tell her the truth_! Seriously, it would make things a whole lot easier for you, and you both get what you want. Besides it's not like her life will be in any more danger than it already is. You know what she did when Toyman's robots were in the Planet? She went to go get _help_, saying _he'll _come for me. She puts herself into those situations because she knows Superman would be there to save her."

Clark widened his eyes, and then opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out, what the Halfa said had rendered his speechless. Seeing the man's shocked expression, Rachel took a deep breath and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Listen, Clark, I'm not forcing you to tell her who you really are. All I'm saying is that if you want to be in a relationship with her, keeping a secret _this _big won't get you that."

* * *

They continued to walk to Clark's apartment in silence. When they arrived, they were surprised to see someone sitting at Clark's table, sipping for a mug.

"Hey Clark, hey Rach." Waved a very cheerful Kara Kent.

"Kara? What are you doing here?" Clark frowned. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Check your watch, cousin," Kara smirked, "It's Friday and school ended hours ago."

Clark groaned, making Rachel grin. Apparently, Clark's previous conversation with her had made him lose track of time. When Kara got up to put her mug away, Rachel noticed the Blonde Kryptonian was in her costume. Rachel had never seen her wear it before; sure, every superhero in this world wore some kind of costume, but she'd never seen Kara in hers. She wore a white t-shirt with the "S" symbol on it, along with a short, blue skirt, red boots, white gloves, and short red cape that hung from the shoulders of her shirt. She also had an Alice band on her head to keep her hair back.

"So, what brings you out here, Kara?" asked Rachel.

"I help out Superman whenever I'm in Metropolis." Kara explained. "I was hoping to go on patrol with you, Clark."

Clark put a hand to his mouth to cover a yawn. "Sorry, Kara." He said tiredly. "But I think I'm going to sit this one out. The fight with Bizarro really did a number on me. Maybe you and Rachel can go patrol Metropolis for the day."

Kara looked confusingly at her cousin and friend. "Bizarro? What happened?"

Clark and Rachel exchanged looks. "Rach, can you explain it to her? I am turning in for a little bit, but if you need anything," he tapped his ear to indicate his super hearing, "call me." The two girls nodded.

After Clark went into his room, Kara turned to the Halfa. "Well?" she asked expectantly.

After Rachel finished tell her the story, Kara shrieked with joy and pulled her friend into a bone crushing hug. She was ecstatic to hear that Rachel chose to be a hero again.

"Ow!" Rachel screamed. "Kara!"

Kara quickly released her. "Sorry."

Rachel rubbed her sides in an attempt to dull the pain. "Just a reminder, I break easily when I'm human."

"I'll try to remember that." Kara replied as she went to the window. Looking back at Rachel, she asked. "You coming?"

The Halfa grinned at her, and turned into her ghost form. "You bet."

The two girls flew out the window a moment later. Clark was lying on his bed fully awake, thinking about Lois, and Rachel's words regarding her.

* * *

**Metropolis: Downtown**

"Ugh, this is _so _boring!"

Rachel looked at Supergirl. "We've only been out here for about fifteen minutes."

"I know," the Girl of Steel replied, "but I just wish that _something_ would happen."

"If you think about it though," Supergirl looked at her friend, "maybe nothing is happening because your cousin did all the work." Rachel said as she smirked at Supergirl.

Supergirl stuck her tongue out at the Halfa, who laughed softly.

"Oh relax, 'All good things come to those who wait.'"

At that moment that a large explosion rocked the street, and several armed men ran out of what used to be the front of a bank towards an armored car.

"See?" Rachel turned to Supergirl, but she was already rocketing towards the criminals. "Wait!" Rachel yelled after her, but the Girl of Steel didn't stop. Rachel sighed; she figured that Supergirl had a right to be a little overconfident. From what the Halfa had seen, Kryptonians are invulnerable under Earth's yellow sun, but still, rushing in to a scene without a plan usually leads to disaster. A lesson she learned a long time ago, the hard way. Rachel decided to stay back, and play it safe.

Supergirl wasn't worried one bit. These were just common thieves, and she was bulletproof. Taking these guys out would be a walk in the park. Plus this was a good chance show a veteran like Rachel what she can do. She landed directly in front of the armored car.

"Okay boys," she began, "it's over; drop the money and the guns, and I won't have to- to… "

Supergirl couldn't finish her sentence as she suddenly felt sick and weak. As she collapsed to the ground, she saw a man walk out from behind the getaway vehicle wearing a brown trench coat and a hat that covered his face.

"It is indeed over," The man spoke with slight British accented voice, "for _you_."

Supergirl gasped, she knew that voice anywhere. The man ripped off the coat and took off his hat. Revealing a human looking form, except most of his torso, right arm, and the right half of his face were replaced by gleaming metal. The exposed half of his face looked like a human skull, and a sinister green light glowed from the eye socket. Resting in the center of his chest was a glowing green rock.

"Metallo." The Girl of Steel hissed as she grimaced at the android.

"In the _flesh." _Metallo said as he took a bow. Then he raised his arm, preparing to fire a Kryptonite beam at the squirming Supergirl. "Now _die._"

Supergirl grunted as the Kryptonite continued to drain her strength. She tried to get up but found that she couldn't. She felt like such an idiot. She just _had _to rush into the scene without a second thought. She should have known this would've been too easy. She should've…

She never finished her thoughts on what she should have done, as Metallo fired his shot. All Supergirl could do was watch, eyes wide, as the green beam sped towards her. Suddenly, Rachel landed in front of her and created a dome of energy around her and Supergirl, blocking them both from Metallo's beam.

As the smoke cleared, Rachel turned to the Girl of Steel. "Supergirl! You alright?" The Halfa was actually going to allow Supergirl to handle this alone. After all, she did look like she needed to let off some steam, but when Rachel saw the android appear, and the light from the stone cause her obvious pain. She realized it was time to step in and help.

Supergirl was still weak, Rachel's shield protected her from the Kryptonite's radiation, but it also blocked rejuvenating effect of Earth's sun. Supergirl rose shakily to her feet, her voice weak as she spoke. "Y-yeah."

"What happened? Why did that rock hurt you?"

"Kryptonite," Supergirl explained as she pointed at Metallo's chest. "The radiation is poisonous to me and Superman." Rachel nodded as she turned back to the android and the burglars.

Metallo stared at the two girls with contempt, wondering who the other girl was. He turned back to the group burglars. "Well? What are you waiting for?" he barked at the men, all of which jumped back in fear. "Shoot them!" The men hesitated, but then aimed their guns at the energy shield, and unloaded their ammo. Sparks flew in every direction as the bullets hit the shield, but weren't able to damage it in any way. Rachel watched a moment as they uselessly attempted to break her shield, and then she looked over her shoulder at Supergirl.

"I'll take care of the android. Think you can take care of the goons?"

Kara gave a slight nod. "S-sure, no problem."

The Halfa noticed a lack of confidence in her voice, but realized now is not the time to dwell on the matter. Right now there were criminals shooting at them, and it was really getting on Rachel's nerves. Rachel created a duplicate of herself outside the shield; this caused Metallo and the burglars to stop shooting and looked shockingly at her. Before they could react, the duplicate charged at Metallo, yanking the Kryptonite from his chest.

"No!" Metallo shouted as the rock was disconnected from his body. Almost immediately his systems were shut down, rendering the android motionless. The duplicate then slightly pushed Metallo in the chest with her finger, making him topple over with a metallic thud. She held Kryptonite as her hand glowed blue. A split second later, the glowing rock exploded, leaving nothing behind but a small patch of smoke. The duplicate gave a last glare at the burglars, who were shaking with absolute fear, before vanishing at the same time Rachel dropped her shield.

Now exposed to the sun's energy, Supergirl attacked with a vengeance. The burglars tried to run, but they had no chance. Rachel almost felt sorry for them, _almost_. In less than a minute's worth of punches and kicks, they were all unconscious on the ground, and groaning slightly. As the police arrived to take Metallo and the would-be bank robbers into custody, a crowd of people had gathered on the streets and cheered for the two girls. Rachel waved at them and gave them a reassuring smile as she flew into the air. Supergirl quickly followed her.

* * *

After the two landed on the roof of a building several blocks away, Kara walked over to the edge and sat down; hugging her legs and tilting her head down. Rachel could tell that Kara was upset. She sat down next to her and waited a couple of seconds before deciding to speak to her.

"You want to talk about it?"

Kara just shook her head in response.

"Trust me, Kara." She said. "We should; it'll make you feel better."

Kara looked at Rachel, into those dazzling blue eyes, and then she sighed. "I messed up. Clark's been telling me and teaching me to fight smarter but, I don't know, I guess I just wanted to prove myself, so I ran in without really thinking."

Rachel looked at her friend, surprised. "You wanted to prove yourself? Wait, do you mean to _me_?"

Kara returned her gaze to the Halfa, and nodded.

"Oh Kara," Rachel said as she pulled Kara into a hug. The latter's cheeks flushed slightly at the embrace. After they broke apart, the Halfa continued. "You don't need to prove yourself to me. Anyone that can do half of what _you _can do, has my respect."

"But you don't get it," claimed Supergirl, "you've done so many things for your world; people still see me as Superman's kid cousin, his sidekick."

Rachel paused for a moment. She understood how Kara felt; living behind someone's shadow can be tough, especially when that shadow belongs to someone as powerful as Superman.

"Then that just means you'll have to work harder to show that you're your own person. Eventually people will see you for the hero that you are."

Supergirl smiled, Rachel took that as a sign that she was getting through to her.

"Okay, now as for what happened," Supergirl's smile vanished at Rachel's words. "If Metallo hadn't been there, you would've done great. Other than that, you got a little overconfident, and that's okay. Experience comes with time. If you make mistakes, you'll learn from them. That's how you grow." The Halfa put a hand on Supergirl's shoulder. "I know how you feel, Kara. I used to do the same thing; I can't tell you how many times I've gotten help from somebody else because I rushed in without a plan. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure that's why the Justice League exists, so that heroes could watch out for each other."

Kara smiled again as she felt her spirits raise. If Rachel could rise above her flaws, then so could she, it'll be hard, but it'll be worth it!

"Thanks, Rach."

"Of course, Kara." The Halfa smiled, glad to see Kara's feeling better. She floated off the edge of the roof. "Come on, we've only patrolled for a little bit; that still leaves the rest of Metropolis." and then she extended a hand to the Girl of Steel. "You ready?"

Supergirl looked into Rachel's eyes as she took her hand. "You bet." She smiled.

As the two girls flew in the air, Rachel turned to Supergirl. "You think Clark will be worried about us after what happened?"

Supergirl laughed. "Knowing him, he's probably been worrying since the minute we left."

The Halfa joined in the laughter as they continued to fly. What they didn't know, however, a certain superhero had been listening in on they had been doing since leaving his apartment. He had gotten out of bed and was sitting at the kitchen table, since the thoughts racing through his mind prevented him from getting any type of sleep. He only stopped listening when he heard his phone ring; his call ID showed that it was someone who _never _called.

* * *

When Rachel and Kara arrive at Clark's apartment a few hours later, they noticed Clark sitting at the table with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Kara and Rachel looked at each other for a moment, and then Kara spoke. "What's going on, Clark?"

"Hm? Hey girls," Clark answered as he looked up at the two girls, "how'd patrolling go?"

Kara's eye fell to her feet, seeing her discomfort, Rachel replied for her. "Kara did well, we ran into some android named Metallo and his gang of burglars," she looked at Kara again, "but we handled okay, right Kara?"

Kara looked at her friend, and then at her cousin. "R-right." She answered with a nod.

Clark nodded, and then spoke to Kara. "Sorry Kara, but I need to take Rachel somewhere; Batman needs her for something."

Rachel raised an eyebrow as she turned back into her human form. The Detective actually asked to see her? What could be so important?

Clark turned to Kara. "I also have some business with the League I need to take care of. Would you mind looking after Metropolis tomorrow while I'm gone?"

Kara stared aghast at her cousin. She glanced uncertainly at Rachel, who grinned and winked at her. Kara's confidence was bolstered by her support, she nodded at Clark. Then she frowned.

"Why tomorrow though? Can't you leave tonight?"

Clark shrugged." I've given up on trying to figure out Batman's methods."

Rachel chuckled. "And no one would blame you."

Both Kryptonians smirked. After a bit Clark spoke again.

"Say Rach, now that you're back in the hero game. What are you going to call yourself?"

When the Halfa looked confused, Kara elaborated. "He means your superhero name."

"Oh." Rachel replied as her mind started to race. She knew that superheroes do more than just fight evil. They are an ideal; an inspiration for others to look up to, and are the symbols of _hope_. Not unlike the Guardian program. She remembered someone telling her a long time ago.

"_Guardians exist to help those in need. In the best and worst of times, we help make the world a better place for all her inhabitants. We act as beacons_ _of hope, if you will." _

Rachel smiled as she finished thinking. "Actually, yes." Clark and Kara both shifted their position a little bit, waiting for the Halfa to continue. Rachel placed a hand on her chest. "You can call me, 'Beacon'."

After a moment of silence, Clark raised an eyebrow. "I suppose that works, though I would've associated that name with someone who is more of a light-based hero. I mean you _are _a ghost."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rachel questioned as she glared at Clark with her eyebrows furrowed. "Since I'm a ghost I can only live in the darkness? I never thought that _you'd _be one to stereotype, Clark."

Rachel crossed her arms as Clark scratched the back of his head, cheeks pink.

"Uh, well, I-"The two girls high-fived each other as they laughed at Clark's embarrassment.

Clark took a deep breath as he stood up. He then walked up to the Halfa, and extended his hand, smiling as he did so.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, _Beacon_."

Rachel looked at Clark's outstretched hand, and then happily shook it. "Nice to meet you too, Supes."

Clark chuckled, and Kara smiled warmly at the both of them.

After 'Beacon' had introduced herself. Rachel and Kara walked into Clark's room while Clark put a pillow and a blanket on the couch; he'd given his room for Rachel use for the night. Kara got ready to return to Smallville; it wouldn't take her long to get back. Although before she left, she pulled Rachel in a crushing hug.

"Thanks for the talk, Rach."

"Ow!" screamed the Halfa, "Kara!"

"Sorry!"

Kara quickly released her and flew out the open window. Even though she didn't look back, she imagined the Halfa sitting on the bed, trying to ease the pain in her flatten lungs. She laughed at the thought as she soared through the night sky.

* * *

The next morning, Rachel awoke fairly rested. Though the nightmares persisted, she hadn't woken up in the middle of the night. Maybe this was a sign that she was getting used to them, which wasn't a very delightful thought for the Halfa. At breakfast, Rachel thanked Clark for letting her use his room. The Man of Steel merely dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

"It's no trouble."

Rachel smiled at the man. "Good to see you're such a gentleman."

Clark grinned back. "I try."

After they finished eating, Rachel transformed while Superman got into his costume. The two flew in silence for a few minutes, with Rachel following behind Superman, since he was guiding them to where they needed to go.

"Where are we going, and also why are we going there?"

Superman looked over his shoulder at the ghost-girl. "Batman needs you in Miami; he said that it was important if you were going to live in this universe."

Rachel nodded in understanding. She figured it must be something important if Batman had said it. While Rachel did have more questions, she knew Superman wouldn't know the answer to them. So she decided to be patient; soon she can get answers directly from the source.

Superman spoke again. "Thank you, by the way."

"Oh? For what?"

Superman smiled. "First, for what you said about me and Lois; I guess I really needed to have that shoved into my face."

"Sure, so, are you going to tell her?"

"I don't know; it's a big step. Not a whole lot of people outside of the League know who I really am." Superman paused for a moment. "But I am giving it more thought."

"Good for you, but just keep in mind that she's gonna be pretty upset for a while. I mean you are dropping a huge bomb on her."

Superman nodded as he turned his head back to the front. The two flew in silence for a few minutes before Superman spoke again.

"I need to thank you for one other thing."

"What is it?"

"Thank for saving Kara, and for telling her what she needed to hear." There was gratitude in Superman's voice.

Rachel blinked for a second, and glared at the Man of Steel.

"Wait! You were eavesdropping? But you weren't anywhere near us!"

Superman laughed, a little embarrassed. "Yeah, and I'm sorry about that, but I don't need to be nearby to hear a conversation, and I can see through almost anything."

"No wonder you're such a good journalist," The Halfa muttered before pouting her lips. "Your powers make it a breeze."

"It does. I can't tell you how many times Lois has been mad at me for getting a story before her, which is one reason why I have reservations about telling her."

"Well, it's not like she can do a whole lot. I mean you _are _invulnerable after all."

Both of them exchanged smiles. The rest of the trip was in silence, but this time it was a comfortable one.

* * *

**Miami**

The two heroes landed at the coordinates that Batman provided, which turned out to be an alley. Superman was only there for a short time before he had to take off again, saying that Batman has asked for Rachel to come alone; plus, he had that meeting with the other members of the Justice League to go to. Once Superman left, Rachel turned back into her human form.

"_Of course_," Rachel grumbled out loud, "why _wouldn't _it be an alley?"

She stepped out of the alley and saw a black limo drive up next to her. The window rolled down far enough for the Halfa to see the face of its occupant.

"Get in." said Bruce Wayne firmly.

Rachel did as she was told, and the two rode in silence for a while, that was until Rachel could no longer take it.

"Okay. Where are we going? Why did you call me here?"

For a moment, Bruce's expression remained impassive. Then his mouth formed a small smile.

"Your new home."

"Huh?"

"You'll see."

After a few minutes of driving, the limo pulled into the driveway of nice house. From the outside, it looked like a typical two-story home. Judging from the cleanliness in yard, the house had been very well kept. Bruce and Rachel walked to the front door, where Bruce produced a key. When he opened the door, Rachel's jaw fell so low, it was threatening to dislocate from her skull. The outside of house might have looked ordinary, but the inside did not! It looked like some of the pictures she'd seen in those fancy home magazines.

Bruce gestured for the Halfa to go inside. As she walked further into the house, she took in the gigantic living room, complete with a very elegant fireplace, and the large flat-screen television hanging on the wall. Then she turned to the kitchen, she saw the marble counter tops, stainless steel appliances, the dark wooden drawers, and the island directly in the center of the kitchen. At the back of the living room, there was a glass door, through it she could see Miami Beach and the Atlantic Ocean stretch all the way out into the horizon. She turned back to the Billionaire, but it took her a moment to find her words.

"So, this is all for me." Bruce simply nodded, maintaining his small grin. "B-But how did you do this?"

"Actually, I didn't get this for you, Rachel; your parents did."

"I don't follow."

The Billionaire elaborated. "I've been spending the last few days constructing your identity in this universe; birth certificate, medical records, insurance, everything that you will need if you're going to live here, that including your parent's last will and testament."

Rachel frowned in confusion. "Wait, how'd you get all that information? I never mentioned any either of my parent's names; how could you have written up their will?"

"When you asked J'onn to read your mind, he picked up more than just memory of the past few days. Apparently you were so desperate to cling onto them, you focused on any and all information about your family, and J'onn was able to read that too."

The Halfa deepened her frown. She didn't like that the Martian had seen more of her personal information, but there was no use complaining about it if the cat was already out of the bag. "Well, I guess I couldn't help it."

Bruce shrugged. "Why do you take some time off? See what's around the city; after all, if you are going to live here, you'll need to see what you need to protect." He started for the doorway, but paused. "By the way, here's something else that you'll need."

He handed Rachel a small paper box; inside was a smartphone, a couple of plastic cards that she guessed are bank cards, and a driver's license. Rachel wondered for a second why she needed a license when she could fly, but then came to the conclusion that it was more for her human side. After looking through all the contents in the box, the Halfa looked curiously at Bruce.

"It's another gift from 'your parents'. The phone has the numbers of every Leaguer, as well as the Kents'. The bank is just a few blocks away. You might want to see just how much money you have; I don't know how much the Guardians' paid you before, but I doubt you'd have to work anytime soon."

With that, he made to shut the door, but before he did so. Rachel placed the box on the floor, and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you." She whispered.

Bruce smiled as he patted the Halfa's back lightly. After he left, Rachel stood rooted to the spot for a moment, and then cheered at the top of her lungs as she jumped in the air. The Billionaire was just about to reach his limo when he heard the shout. He allowed himself a grin before he got inside.

* * *

Rachel spent the next few hours exploring her new home, which included several bedrooms, a grand bathroom, a master bedroom, and a basement. When the Halfa went to down to the basement, she noticed there was a small room with a home gym in it. Other than that, the basement was the only thing in the house that wasn't decorated. Rachel figured Bruce had left this room blank for her to decide what she wants to do with it.

There were a couple of computers that Rachel quickly set up with the help of her holographic interface. All in all, there wasn't anything she disliked about her house. Rachel paused for a moment. _Her _house, over the years she had either lived at her parents' house, the cramped dorm rooms at the Guardian headquarters, or the apartment she shared with Robin, Jonah, and Ariella. Bottom line is; never before did she have her own place. She frowned at thought. _That's right; I'm living by myself now._

Wanting more than just sad thoughts for company, she used her new phone to call the Kent home to let them know what was happening. Even though she'd only known them for about a week, Rachel considered them as her adopted grandparents. When she'd called them, she'd also asked for Kara's phone number to let her know as well, but they told her that Kara had a bad habit of accidentally holding her phone too tightly and crushing it. This made Rachel laugh, but the Kents then said that they would tell her when she comes back.

After that, Rachel left the house and walked over to the bank; she was curious to find out just how much money her "parents" had left her. Once she did, she toppled forward and had to stop herself from face-planting on the ATM. Someone passing by had to ask her if she was okay.

As Rachel walked away, she muttered to herself. "Twenty-five million…. Where does Bruce keep that kind of money, in his sock?"

On her way home, the Halfa stopped by the supermarket and a clothing store. The cashier gave her a quizzical look when she piled a bushel of faded purple t-shirts, blue jeans, and some athletic wear onto the register.

"Just moved in, need to stock up my closest" Rachel explained. The cashier merely shrugged.

* * *

Once she'd stocked up the kitchen, and the closet. Rachel decided to head back out to explore Miami a little more. Overall, the ghost-girl loved the place; the sky was clear, the smell of sea hung in the air, and the red light from the setting sun covered everything in a red-orange hue. Rachel looked around as she explored downtown, she figured she could use the tall buildings as a vantage point whenever she'd do her patrols, she also thought that she should get a map of the place so she could effectively plan them. She stopped in her tracks when something caught her eye; an ice cream parlor. Rachel couldn't stop the large grin from spreading over her face. It seemed forever ago that she's enjoyed her favorite frozen desert.

She started to make her way to the parlor, but a police car, fire truck, and ambulance sped by, their sirens blaring. Rachel sighed; ice cream would have to wait. She ran to the nearest alley, and then turned into her ghost form.

* * *

Beacon flew above the vehicles invisible for a few blocks before realizing the issue. The building directly ahead was engulfed in flames, wanting to know more about the situation, she turned visible and landed a few feet behind a Police Officer.

"Officer, what's the current situation?" asked the ghost-girl.

The Officer turned around and looked at Beacon confused for a minute before replying. "Miss, for your own safety, please get back. Let us handle this."

Beacon was about to say something when someone ran up to the Police Officer. A man grabbed the front of the Officer's shirt, and shook him violently. "My wife and baby are still in there! You have to rescue them!"

The Officer pulled the man off of him. "Sir, please calm down. Now where are they?"

"Up there!" the man pointed at the fourth floor, where fire spewed out of the windows. The Officer looked grimly at the scene, trying desperately to figure out a way to help the distraught man. Beacon saw her opportunity and spoke up.

"Don't worry Mister," both men looked at her, "I'll go and get them." With that she turned intangible and flew into the building. Leaving the two men stunned.

The inside of the building glowed orange as the flames roared, engulfing everything in its path. Beacon phased through an apartment door and saw them, a woman was huddled in corner clutching a bundle her arms. The bundle was crying loudly as the woman rocked it back and forth. One second passed, and bits of the ceiling began to crack, and then started to fall towards the both of them. The woman screamed as she contorted herself to protect her baby. When the woman opened her eyes again, she saw that she was encased in a large blue dome. In there with her was a white-haired teenage girl.

"You okay, ma'am?" asked Beacon. The woman was so shocked; it took her almost a minute to nod in response. The younger girl gave the woman a reassuring smile and extended her hand. "Take my hand; I'll get you both out of here."

Without hesitation, the woman grabbed the girl's hand. Beacon pulled the woman up into a bridal carry as she turned intangible, and then flew through the wall. They landed back onto the ground seconds later. Beacon put the woman down as the latter's husband ran up and embraced her, tears streaming from his eyes. The Halfa smiled warmly at the family before turning back to the Police Officer from earlier.

"Is there anything else I can do to help?"

Another hour had passed before the fire was extinguished. The ghost-girl had flown inside the building with a fire hose, dousing the flames inside while the firefighter did the same for the outside. As the emergency vehicles began to leave, Beacon thought she should be departing as well. That is until someone spoke up to her.

"Wait!" she turned to see the Police Officer extend his hand, "thanks for the help."

Beacon smiled and shook his hand. "No problem."

"One question though, just… Who are you?"

The ghost-girl saw that a crowd had gathered behind him. Most of them had their phones out. Apparently, Beacon's assistance had not gone unnoticed. She looked back at the Police Officer.

"The name's Beacon," said the Halfa confidently, "and I'm here to help."

The Officer nodded as she began to fly away. Before she got too far however, she waved at him. "Have a good night!"

* * *

It was dark by the time Rachel got back to her new home. After helping with fire, she'd stopped by the ice cream parlor, and got herself some vanilla ice cream. Her taste buds had tingled slightly as she ate the frozen dairy product. As she walked towards the bathroom for a shower, she saw a closed room that she didn't notice earlier. Curious, Rachel walked up to the door, and jiggled the doorknob; the door was locked. Using her intangibility, she unlocked the door and walked inside. The room was bare, except for a rather large object being covered by a white sheet of fabric. After pulling off the sheet, the Halfa gasped slightly; underneath was an alluring black grand piano. She traced her finger along the frame; the polished wood felt smooth to her touch. The Halfa opened the lid and examined the inside, all the parts were free of dust, and was in pristine condition. Rachel walked up to the front of the piano, pulled the seat out, and then sat down.

After lifting up the cover, Rachel smiled as she studied the black and white ivory keys. She gently pressed one key down and the note hummed from the piano, filling the room with its soft sound. Placing her hands over the keyboard, she took a deep breath as she flexed her fingers. Then closing her eyes, she began to play.

The rapid rhythm that emitted for the piano filled Rachel with waves of emotions. She began to sway along with the music, her fingers moving elegantly over the keyboard. As she played her song, she thought of the events that happened in her life; her career as a Guardian, all the times she'd spent with her family and friends. Then she thought about her new life in this universe.

* * *

**Batcave**

Batman leaned back on his chair as he sat at his computer screen. The Justice League had finished their discussion about rebuilding after the Thanagarian invasion. However his work was never done, he leaned back towards his computer, and started to type furiously. After a couple of strokes, he paused; remembering the moment when Rachel had embraced him. Whenever he would look at the Halfa, Batman couldn't help but see himself in her. With that thought, the Detective pulled up a picture on the screen. It was a family portrait of Thomas and Martha Wayne, with their then-eight year old son, Bruce. Batman sighed as he leaned back on his chair again, and found comfort in knowing that Rachel was adjusting better than he once did.

* * *

**Metropolis**

Superman floated a few feet above the Daily Planet. Crossing his arms, he stared into the building with his X-ray vision, where he found Lois Lane working at her desk. Superman sighed as he flew away, thinking back to when he first met Lois all those years ago, and about his feelings for the reporter. He had always wanted to start something with her, but fear for Lois' life had stopped him from telling her the truth. Superman had always thought that he was doing the right thing keeping his secret from Lois, but now he had no idea. The Man of Steel remembered something Rachel had said to him.

"…_He'll_ _come for me. She gets herself into those situations because she knows Superman would always save her."_

What the Halfa said had been true; Lois' job as an investigate reporter had already put her in harm's way even before Superman arrived in Metropolis. Telling her that Clark Kent and Superman are really one in the same isn't going to change that much. It was at this moment that he made up his mind. As he flew, he tried to figure out how he was going to break the news to Lois, the thought of getting her angry sent chills down his spine.

* * *

**Smallville**

Kara sat on the roof of the barn at the Kent farm as she surveyed the stars in the night sky. She was able to look at them more clearly thanks to her super vision. As Kara looked at the sky, she thought about the times she'd spent with her new friend; from their first meeting to their heart to heart in Metropolis, but there was something more. Ever since she'd meet the Halfa, there were feelings stirring inside her, but the Kryptonian didn't know what to make of these feelings. Was it because she felt pity for the ghost-girl? Or was it something else? Rachel had told Kara that she had a girlfriend, so she knew the Halfa was _different_, but is she different too? Kara sighed as she gave up on trying to find the answers to her questions. She flew from the roof, and back into her room. As she got into bed, she thought about Rachel; her flowing light-emitting white and soft brown hair, her glowing bright blue and shining emerald green eyes, and her sweet, comforting words.

* * *

**Miami**

When Rachel finished playing her song, she opened her eyes to find that her vision had become slightly blurred. She also felt something warm and wet running down her cheeks; she wiped them with her hand, and realized that she'd been crying. The Halfa was so consumed in the music, that she never felt the tears fall from her eyes. It was then that Rachel decided to stop. She put the cover back onto the keyboard, and closed the lid. Then she made her way out of the room, but before she turned off the light. She looked back at the piano with a fond smile.

**A/N: I hope you all like the interactions Rachel had with the other characters so far, particularly between her and Kara. I understand the Supergirl was a little overconfident in the series, and therefore I can see Rachel sort of being a mentor to her before they got into anything more serious.**

**Now as for her superhero name. I've spent some time thinking it, and when it was all said and done, I went with "Beacon". The reason is that whenever I would think of a superhero; I'd think of them as shining examples of hope and justice. They are "Beacons" of those ideals if you catch my drift. It might seem cheesey, but it is what it is. The conversation between Superman and Rachel was actually taken from a conversation I had with someone else, and almost word for word.**

**Finally, the piano scene at the end, the song Rachel played is the piano cover of **_**Numb **_**by Linkin Park. What happened was, I was Youtube-surfing one day and I stumbled onto a video of someone playing that song. After listening to it several times, I decided to incorporate that into Beacon of Justice. You can also imagine the song playing over the scenes with Batman, Superman, and Supergirl before turning back Rachel. **

**With that, another chapter of this story is done. I hope you all have been enjoying the ride. I, for one, had definitely enjoyed the experience of writing it. Stay tuned, the next chapter is "Initiation". Until then, I will see you all next time. Stay frosty!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Justice League is owned by DC comics…**

Beacon of Justice

Chapter 5

**Smallville, Kansas**

The boom of the marching band's instruments filled the football field as Rachel stood on the bleachers alongside Martha, Jonathan, and Clark Kent, watching the graduating class of Smallville High School. They cheered loudly as one very special person walked up to the podium. It was with a grin of pride that Kara Kent accepted her High School diploma. After the graduating class tossed their caps into the air, signaling the end of the ceremony, Kara rushed over to her family and friend.

"Rach, thanks for coming; it means a lot that you're here."

Rachel smiled at her. "Are you kidding? I wouldn't've missed this for the world."

Kara had been pleasantly surprised to find the Halfa attending her graduation. She couldn't detect her even with her superhuman senses. Nevertheless, she was happy that Rachel came.

After receiving hugs from all four of her personal audience, the Kent family and their friend returned to the farm, most of Kara's graduating class was planning to attend a party that night, but Kara had a much bigger event to attend. Clark and Kara went upstairs to change into the costumes, while Rachel's blue rings transformed her into her ghost form. Superman and Supergirl came down the stairs a few seconds later. Kara put her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at Beacon.

"You know, I'll never stop being jealous at how fast you can get into costume."

The ghost-girl grinned at her friend, and shrugged. Martha Kent approached Superman. "Now, Clark, you take care of those two girls, all right?"

Clark smiled at his mother. "Don't worry, Ma, they're gonna do just fine."

Martha smiled back, and then rejoined her husband at the table.

"You kids have fun!" Jonathan waved at them. The trio nodded, and then Superman pressed a finger to the communicator in his ear.

"We're ready."

A white light surrounded the three heroes, becoming more intense by the second. When it became too bright to look at, the light vanished. When the light disappeared, so did the three heroes.

* * *

**Four Months Ago: Miami**

_Rachel leaned back on the sofa as she watched the news on her TV. She had just got back from her daily patrol of the city. Since she moved to Miami, the Halfa had created a daily routine to make better use of her time. Every day, early in the morning, she'd go for a run for several miles, come back home to work out in her home gym, and then have a hearty breakfast after her shower. Afterwards, she would conduct her patrol of the city. After ending it at around noon, Rachel would have lunch, and then go have ice cream at the parlor that she'd discovered. Then she would return home and go into her relaxation period, where she does whatever she wants, such as watching TV, reading a book, or going out into town. However, every day at four o'clock, the Halfa would stop whatever she was doing, and go play on the piano for a couple of hours. This was Rachel's favorite part of the day; it was a time where she could forget everything and just enjoy the moment. After playing her music, she would have dinner, and then head back out to patrol Miami again._

_Rachel hadn't been that busy over the past few weeks. After a few days of patrolling the city, Rachel realized that, aside from the occasional accident, fire or robbery, Miami didn't have much in terms of super villains. In fact, the city was pretty quiet, or at least it is by superhero standards. Miami was by no means a quiet city._

_Still, Rachel had become quite the popular hero; or at least, Beacon had become popular. She wasn't supposed to reveal her secret identity after all._

_She glanced over to the front door when she heard a knock on it. Rachel got up as she turned off the TV, curious about who it might be; aside from members of the Justice League visiting her every once in a while, she didn't really have visitors._

_She opened the door to see Clark Kent and Diana in their civilian clothes, and with serious looks on their faces._

"_Hey Clark, Diana," said Rachel as she nodded to the two of them. "What's going on?"_

"_Rachel," replied Clark with a straight face, "there's something we need to discuss with you."_

"_Uh, sure." Rachel felt slightly nervous as she let Clark and Diana into her home; both of them seemed very serious, almost grim. Had she done something wrong? Had she broken some law, or disobeyed some rule that superheroes had to follow? Thoughts like these plagued her mind as she opened the fridge. "Can I get you two anything?"_

"_No, that's alright." Clark replied firmly. Rachel nodded as she closed the fridge, and then gestured for the two heroes to sit with her at the table, which they did._

"_So, what's up?" asked the Halfa curiously._

"_There's something we need to ask you, Rachel." Diana glanced over briefly at Clark, who nodded at her. "Do you remember what happened the day after we defeated the Thanagarians?"_

_Rachel's cheeks flushed pink as her eyes fell to the table. "Well, I remember telling you about my world and my life, and then I-I burst into tears in the middle of it."_

_Diana smiled as she placed a hand on the Halfa's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It was perfectly understandable, given what you went through. Actually, we had been planning to off you a membership in the Justice League."_

_Rachel's eyes widened. Was that true? Were they really going to offer her a League membership? Thinking back, she realized that immediately accepting their offer would have been a bad idea; she was devastated before ending up in a completely different universe, and needed time to grieve, which had led to her staying at the Kent home for a week._

_Clark took over for Diana. "I know that it still hasn't been that long for you, Rach, but we're here to extend the offer again: will you join the Justice League?"_

_Now it was Rachel's turn to look serious. "Yes, absolutely." Clark and Diana were slightly taken aback by the Halfa's lack of hesitation._

"_Are you sure that you don't want to think about it?"_

_Rachel smiled at the two of them. "My life in the Guardian program has made me feel like I've been part of something greater. Joining the Justice League will give me a chance for me to feel that way again, to do more to help people; how can I refuse an offer like that?"_

_Thanks to her empathic abilities, Diana could sense the resolve in Rachel's spirit, just as she could sense the pride in Clark's. She sensed the same pride for the Halfa; she had suffered a great deal, but she still had the determination to fight on. Any Amazon would have been proud to fight alongside this young woman._

"_So," said Rachel, her eyes beaming, "when do we start? 'Cause I gotta tell you, supervillains are not exactly 'a dime a dozen' here in Miami."_

_Clark chuckled at his young friend's enthusiasm. "Not yet, Rach; we've actually invited you pretty early, as sort of a thank-you for helping us during the invasion. In about another couple of months, we'll be sending out invitations to other heroes around the world; then, we'll bring them all up to the Watchtower."_

_Rachel blinked in confusion; she remembered watching the giant space station crash into the Thanagarian hyperspace bypass. "Wait, so there's a new Watchtower?"_

"_That's right, it'll be better that ever, and can be a permanent home for any full-time heroes."_

_Rachel smiled. "Sweet, so, who else are you inviting? How many other heroes are there?"_

_Clark shrugged. "Batman is still looking over his files on them to see which ones are qualified, but I can tell you that there'll be a lot."_

_Diana interrupted the Man of Steel. "And _I_ can tell you that you were the first on the list of candidates."_

_Rachel beamed at the both of them. Before, all she could think about was everything that she'd lost. Now however, she was going to get a chance to be part of something bigger again. The Halfa made sure she gave both Clark and Diana a hug before they left._

* * *

**The Watchtower**

The light from the teleporter faded, and Beacon, Supergirl, and Superman stepped out to see a massive room. It was so massive; it looked like it could easily fit at least a few hundred people!

"Whoaaaa." The Halfa and Girl of Steel exclaimed as they looked around with their eyes wide, it was safe to say that both girls were impressed with what they saw. Superman grinned at them with pride, and then waved over the rest of the founding members of the Justice League.

"Glad to have you with us." Green Lantern looked at Beacon, but then noticed Supergirl glaring at him for only addressing the Halfa, so he hurriedly added, "Both of you." The Lantern looked different than the last time Beacon had seen him: his head was now shaved, and he now spotted a mustache and beard.

"Yeah," The Flash said cheerfully as he ran up to them, "welcome aboard, you two." Both girls smiled at the speedster, and nodded.

"All right, now all of you step off the teleporter; I've gotta go get some more recruits." Green Lantern cut it.

The League members, both new and old, walked down the stairs as the light flashed from the teleporter again, sending the Lantern back to Earth. After watching disappear, Beacon asked the question that had been burning in her mind.

"Okay, can someone _please_ tell me where Batman gets the money for this kind of stuff?"

Her fellow Leaguers chuckled at her question. "He probably keeps it in a piggy-bank in the Batcave." Flash suggested.

"Shouldn't it been a _bat _though, not a pig?" replied the Beacon, and then the group enjoyed another small laugh. Afterwards, Beacon chit-chatted with Flash and Wonder Woman, while Supergirl walked alongside her cousin. As they passed by a window, the Girl of Steel stopped and stared at the amazing view of the planet below. Seeing her adopted homeworld reminded her how much of an honor it was to be a member of the Justice League, and the responsibility it was tasked with.

"Quite a sight, isn't it?" Supergirl turned to see Beacon standing next to her, watching the Earth below. "You know, I've only seen the Earth from space only a handful of times, and even though it's not the same Earth, it takes my breath away every single time. Well, so to speak."

Supergirl nodded, remembering the Halfa telling her that while in her ghost form, Beacon can survive without oxygen.

"Reminds me of what we have to fight for."

Beacon smiled at her friend. "Then we should get to know the people we'll be fighting alongside with; come on, I think more people are showing up."

Supergirl followed her gaze, and sure enough, the teleporter began to glow again; more new Leaguers were coming in.

"What are we waiting for?" asked Supergirl excitedly, "let's go meet the team."

* * *

A couple of hours passed, and both Rachel and Supergirl had separated from each other, talking to the rising number of heroes. Of the new member she had met, she found a few that she liked almost immediately liked. The first one she'd met was Steel, a tall man encased in a grey metal suit, and wielded a giant hammer; apparently he'd created his super-powered suit as a tribute to Superman, which seemed honorable in Beacon's eyes. The next heroes she'd met were named Vigilante and Shining Knight. They both dressed like a cowboy and medieval knight respectively, and even the way they spoke sounded like language of the Old West and middle Ages. However Beacon thought that they both seemed competent, even though they were kind of goofy. Beacon also noticed that she and Supergirl wasn't the only young members of the League, there was also Stargirl, a blond teenage girl, wearing a red, white, and blue outfit, and carrying a staff. She was sitting on the shoulders of man in a giant battle suit. Stargirl had introduce him as S.T.R.I.P.E, and reluctantly added that he was her stepfather. Lastly, Beacon met Zatanna; Beacon found it slightly difficult to talk to her. One of the reasons was that Zatanna's magician outfit made her look very attractive, but she was also smart, kind, had a sharp wit, and excelled at magic. Beacon couldn't help but be reminded of…

Her train of thought, as well as all other conversation was cut off when Superman called for everyone's attention. He was standing on a higher level of the room, alongside Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern. After everyone was quiet, the Man of Steel began to speak. Even though Beacon was standing towards the back of the crowd, she had no trouble hearing Superman's booming voice.

"Each of you brings something different to the table; Strength, speed, stealth, whatever."

Beacon rested her hands on her hips, eyeing the Man of Steel intently as he continued his speech.

"But we're all equal in at least one way. Each of us is willing to make the sacrifices a hero needs to make." He seemed to stare right into the Halfa's eyes as he said to the next words. "Even the ultimate one."

The ghost-girl's posture slackened a little as she moved her eyes away from Superman for a second. She didn't want to think any more about what he'd just said.

"Since there are so many of us, we can do more than just put out fires, both literal and figurative. We can be proactive; we can do some real good in the world, but we're going to have to be organized." Superman pointed upwards, and Beacon as well as several other heroes looked up to see Martian Manhunter at the control panel, smiling and waving to the crowd. "J'onn will be up here, keeping an eye on everything; he'll be the one to decide who's going where and when. I know a lot of you are used to making those decisions by yourself, but from now on, we have to be more coordinated than that. We can't be cowboys anymore." Superman paused for a minute, and the grinned. "Or cowgirls."

Several heroes, including Beacon laughed at his last words. Then out of corner of her eye, the Halfa saw Batman approach a man wear a green outfit with a bow and quiver on his back. Beacon tuned everything else out as she heard the Detective speak.

"We sent the Lantern for because you never gave us an answer."

The blonde archer frowned. "Come on, I don't belong up here, fighting monsters and aliens and supervillians. I just help the little guy, and in a big club like this? You tend to forget all about him."

Beacon frowned, not sure if she liked the archer's attitude. They were all heroes here, they all shared a common purpose; which is to save people, and it shouldn't matter if it was from a fire, or a giant monster, so long as they were saved.

The green archer continued. "So gee whiz, I'm flattered to be asked and all, but no thanks."

The Dark Knight narrowed his eyes at the other man, but then he turned and walked away, saying "Suit yourself." He stopped in his tracks, and then looked over his shoulder at the archer. "Those monsters you don't fight? They tend to step on little guys."

Beacon smirked. _Well said, Bats, _she thought.

* * *

Meanwhile, J'onn had brought Green Lantern's attention to one of the computer screens. "It's some sort of nuclear accident. The sensors are showing a massive release of heat."

Green Lantern nodded. "I'll get down there and try to contain it."

Lantern started to walk away, but J'onn stopped him. "That's the odd thing; it's not dissipating. It's moving in a straight line." He looked down at the computer, which is currently showing digital roster of the League members. Take Captain Atom, he might be to absorb some of the radiation."

"Right," replied Green Lantern, "and I'll need some muscle for crowd control."

"Take Supergirl." Lantern glowered at the J'onn's suggestion, the latter cocked an eyebrow. "She's got to start sometime."

Lantern sighed. "Fine, but if I'm going with two new members, I'm taking someone with more experience, too."

"Who did you have in mind?"

Green Lantern looked down at the lower level, where the new members of the League had resumed their social hour. He surveyed the crowd for a minute until he found who he was looking for. Turning back to the Martian, he said.

"Rachel, she's the best suited to respond if anything were to happen."

"Very well," J'onn complied as Lantern flew up into the air. "Take a javelin; the radiation's making it impossible for the transporter to get a fix on the location."

"Captain Atom!" Green Lantern called out, "Kara! Beacon!"

"About time." Supergirl exclaimed as she flew towards Lantern's position with an overconfident smile.

The Halfa took a deep breath. _This is it, _she thought. The two girls joined Green Lantern, along with a muscular man in a silver bodysuit with red boots, gloves, and a symbol of the atom on his chest. He greeted them with a firm nod.

As the group approached the Javelin bay, Lantern asked the others. "Any of you ever been to Chong Mai?"

"It's on the State Department's 'no travel' list." Captain Atom replied, "It's a Class three felony for American citizens to go there." Beacon looked at the Captain curiously, wondering why it was a crime to travel to that country.

"Is it anywhere near Daytona Beach?" asked Supergirl. Green Lantern groaned as the Halfa raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Kara, it's a country wedged between China and North Korea; that's nowhere _near_ Daytona Beach."

The Girl of Steel eyed the Halfa suspiciously. "How would you know? You're not even from this universe." Captain Atom looked curiously between the two girls.

"I studied in my spare time." Beacon shrugged.

"Nerd." Supergirl muttered with narrowed eyes. Beacon lightly elbowed Supergirl in the ribs.

* * *

As the heroes walked to the elevator, Beacon was able to get a good look at the Javelin bay. She had never seen the League's original Javelin-7 ship. However, from she had heard from the civilian crew that worked on the Watchtower's daily functions; the new Javelins were faster, more durable, and better armed. As they approached their Javelin, Beacon noticed someone approaching them, turning her head, the ghost-girl saw the green archer from earlier running up to them. She figured he must've taken a separate elevator.

"You're not going to leave me here on Mount Olympus?"

"You can go back the way you came." Green Lantern said, without looking at the archer.

"Uh-uh, I don't think so. No one's playing pinball with my molecules again." Beacon didn't know if the he was trying to funny or annoying, or maybe it's a mixture of the two.

"All right, we'll drop you off _after _we're done." Lantern replied with an eye-roll.

As the team boarded the Javelin, Beacon noticed the archer's hesitation. "Don't worry," she told him, "it's perfectly safe." The archer looked at the Halfa, and then slowly walked up the ramp. As they did so, she extended a hand, "Name's Beacon, and you are…?"

"Green Arrow." He answered as he shook it.

"Ah, that makes sense."

Green Arrow raised an eyebrow. "Does it?" Beacon only shrugged.

* * *

As they took their seats, Green Lantern sat in the pilot's seat, prepping the Javelin for launch, and then Supergirl walked up behind him.

"So, you're gonna let me drive, right?"

"Whoa, wait a minute." Captain Atom held up his hands and had a worried look on his suit-covered face. "Has she been certified in a Javelin?"

Supergirl sat down and glared at him. "Why don't you take the stick out, Corporal?"

"It's _Captain_." He replied firmly, Supergirl stuck her tongue out at him; Green Arrow chuckled slightly while Beacon grinned and gave Supergirl the "okay" sign.

As the Javelin took off from the launch bay, the Halfa looked back at the Watchtower. The structure was gigantic; it could easily hold hundreds of people. It resembled a massive white and gold pillar, with an incomplete ring piercing the top. Simply put; it was a marvel of engineering.

As the Javelin entered the Earth's atmosphere, Green Arrow leaned towards Captain Atom. "Is that a containment suit?"

"Uh-huh. I'm not flesh and blood anymore; just living energy."

Green Arrow leaned back with a frown on his face. "That wouldn't be _nuclear_ energy, would it?"

Captain Atom narrowed his eyes at the archer. "With a name like 'Captain Atom', what do you think?"

Green Arrow leaned back into his seat, arms crossed. "I think you're what I marched against back in college."

Beacon rolled her eyes. _Greeeaattt, _really_ looking forward to working with him, _she thought bitterly.

* * *

**Chong Mai Countryside**

The rest of the trip was silent, but thankfully short. The Javelin landed in a forest clearing. Green Lantern, Supergirl, Captain Atom, Beacon strode out, but stopped when they saw several miles of scorched terrain. Charred stumps of what used to be trees and the smoldering remains of buildings were all that remained.

"Look like we missed the party." Supergirl remarked.

"What could've done this?" Beacon asked.

"We'll need to recon the area," said Green Lantern, taking charge of the situation, "if you see anything, don't try to engage."

Captain Atom stood in the position of attention. "Roger that."

The others stared at him, taken aback. "Uh," said Green Lantern, "You can just say okay."

"…Okay." The Captain replied as he walked off. Supergirl mocked a salute and then sighed, and then the heroes followed. Before they got too far however, Beacon widened her eyes as she jerked her heads towards the dozen armed men standing about hundred feet away, several of whom were aiming RPG's at….

"Look out!"

The other three heroes heard the Halfa shout and instinctively sought cover. Green Lantern used his ring to bring up a large shield, just in time to stop a rocket. Bullets and more rockets soon followed. Luckily though, the weapons weren't having any effects on the shield.

"State Department sure was right about them not liking foreigners." Captain Atom said bluntly.

"It's crazy!" Green Lantern yelled, "No reason for it!"

"I'll give'em a reason!" Supergirl exclaimed as she prepared to take flight when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Kara, wait!" said Beacon, "we don't want to make things _worse_."

"She's right," Lantern agreed, "we came here to help them, not to fight."

Green Arrow ran up to them. "So you're just gonna stand there until they run out of RPGs? If this radiation thing is as bad as it looks, there's a lot of people out there are gonna get fried."

Beacon looked at the Archer, and then narrowed her eyes at the armed men. "He's got a point, I'll handle this." With that said, the Halfa vanished from sight.

"What the-?" Green Arrow's words trailed as the rockets and bullets stopped firing. The heroes turned to see that the soldiers looking confused, staring at their empty hands. Then they all looked up to see the ghost-girl floating above them, her arms crossed. Floating next to her were their weapons, incased a large bubble of swirling energy.

"You know, that wasn't very nice," Beacon spoke to the soldiers, "All we're trying to do is-"The Halfa didn't finish as she turned her head, focusing on something they couldn't see.

A few seconds later, there was a sound of helicopter blades. Beacon rejoined her team, where she dropped the soldier's weapons near their feet. Then the five heroes got into fighting stances as the helicopter landed and the doors opened, but they relaxed when they saw that the soldiers accompanying an aging general did not appear hostile.

"My apologies for the fireworks," said the general in a smooth voice, _too _smooth, "Colonel Kim her was just a farmer before the revolution; he doesn't know who you are." He smiled at them, but it didn't convince Beacon even in the slightest. "I am General Kwan. I am most flattered that the Justice League has honored us with its presence, but I must ask why."

Green Lantern stepped forward. "You had some kind of nuclear accident."

The general smiled as he dismissed this with a wave of his hand. "A minor problem, it is fully under control."

"If it's all the same to you…" began Lantern.

"_It _is fully under control." The General's smile was now gone, and he glared at the heroes dangerously. "If it's all the same to you."

"Listen," growl Supergirl, "we came a long way to help…"

"Your help is not needed here," the General interrupted, "Thank you for coming, now goodbye." He tipped his hat at the heroes, and then strode off, his soldiers following him.

After Kwan and his soldiers were gone, Beacon crossed her arms, and spoke. "_Rriigghhtt, _because I would totally consider those smoldering ruins we saw as a _minor _problem."

* * *

The sun was setting as the heroes went back into the Javelin. Green Arrow was fuming in the back; Supergirl was doing her best not to break anything, and Beacon was standing with her arms crossed, staring out the window, while Captain Atom was sitting in a chair, awaiting further orders. Green Lantern was speaking to J'onn on the communication screen.

"I'm telling you, J'onn, it took all the restraint I had not to part that guy's hair with my ring."

"You did the right thing." J'onn's face grew more serious, if that were even possible, "but the problem is not under control; it's getting worse."

_Yep, knew it_, thought Beacon as she watched the sun set past the horizon.

"Don't you get it?" Lantern turned to see Green Arrow walking up to him. "They don't want anyone to find out about the accident; and they don't care how many of their own people they have to lose to keep it quiet!"

"This isn't your concern!" Lantern glared at Arrow. The archer clenched his teeth, and then stormed off. John turned back to the Manhunter. "He does have a point. Maybe the four of us should go back and…"

"No! We can't just do whatever we want; when we formed the League, we agreed with the world's governments that we'd have to respect each government's wishes." J'onn sighed. "No matter what we may think of their policies."

John opened his mouth to speak, when Supergirl interrupted him. "Lantern! Green Arrow's gone!"

"And so is the Geiger counter." Captain Atom added.

Beacon pinched the bridge of her nose, and then said firmly. "C'mon, let's go after him before he starts an international incident."

* * *

The search took quite some time, but thanks to Supergirl's advanced senses, they located Green Arrow. What took them by surprise though was seeing the archer shooting explosive arrows at the source of the radiation, which turned out to be a several-hundred-foot-tall robot. It had giant cannons for arms, a metal skull that was wreathed in fire, and its body was painted a shade of blood red. The enormous automaton was about to vaporize Green Arrow, but Lantern was just able to save him by scooping him up.

"Looks like I just can't help horning in." said Green Lantern as he continued to avoid the robot's attacks.

"There's some people up the cliff!" Arrow pointed to where some civilians and soldiers were corner at a cliff. The only thing standing between them and the opposite hillside was a giant canyon.

"I'll work on getting those people across," Beacon volunteered, and then looked at the others as she pointed at the robot, "but some has to stop that thing from getting any closer."

"I'm on it!" Captain Atom flew off, with Supergirl trailing right behind him.

Beacon floated down right at the edge of the cliff. Then narrowing her eyes in concentration, she held her arms out. As her hands began to glow, a wide platform formed from one end of cliff to the other. The Halfa turned to the man closet to her. "Hurry! Get across!"

The man she was addressing reluctantly placed a foot on the bridge, when it supported his weight; he smiled and waved for the others to follow him. Green Lantern and Arrow stayed nearby, in case the robot was able to get past Supergirl and Captain Atom. As the machine tried to bat the two heroes out of the air, Captain Atom was pulling the fiery energy out of it. The robot attempted swing at him, but with more energy being drained than generated, Captain Atom was able to dodge it without much effort. Unfortunately, the nuclear hero seemed to have reached his limit, because a small explosion erupted from his hands, sending him crashing to the ground.

Supergirl flew down to check on the unconscious Captain, and the charged the robot. However, the metal monster was able to withstand her attacks; it smacked the Girl of Steel into a hill. She shook her head to clear it, but instead of attacking the robot again, she flew back to where people were still running across the makeshift bridge the Beacon had created, and lifted a truck full of soldiers to the other side. Sweat was beginning to form on Beacon's brow as she strained to maintain her energy construct.

In a few colossal steps, the robot was upon them. Beacon looked in shock as the robot pointed one of its cannons straight at her and fired. The Halfa realized that she was stuck; she couldn't risk moving because maintaining her bridge required complete focus. Green Lantern created a shield to block the energy beam, and for a moment, it held. Unfortunately, the shield began to crack, and then came the explosion, just as the last person made it to safety. Even though the explosion only grazed him, it was more than enough to leave Green Lantern unconscious and covered in radiation burns.

"John!" screamed Beacon as she knelt down beside the injured man. Green Arrow looked disbelievingly at Lantern's wounds, and his torn costume. The archer gritted his teeth as he aimed an arrow at the robot. The Halfa activated her holographic interface, and scanned up and down John's body. _Vitals are stable, _she read the text silently, _no broken bones, but I gotta get these burns treated. _Beacon deactivated the interface as she looked at the archer. "We need to get him back to the Javelin!" Green Arrow glared at the giant robot as it walked away, and then slowly lowered his bow.

Supergirl and Captain Atom had rejoined them, the Girl of Steel gasped as she knelt down next to Beacon. "He'll be okay," Supergirl looked at her friend, "We just need to get his wounds treated." The Halfa scooped Lantern up. "Come on." With that, she took to the sky. Captain Atom and Supergirl quickly followed, with the latter carrying Green Arrow.

* * *

The steady beeping sound coming from the heart monitor could be heard as the Javelin's medical systems worked to stabilize the wounded Green Lantern lying on the stretcher. After spending s couple of minutes watching the unconscious man, Captain Atom rounded on Green Arrow.

"This wouldn't have happened if you'd acted like you were part of a team!"

"But I'm not, remember?" The archer retaliated, and then he jerked his body around until he was face-to-face with the Captain. "So, back off, Nuke-boy!"

"Hey!" Supergirl shouted as she stepped in between the two men, and separated them with her arms. "We've got a giant out-of-control robot out there, but if you guys are too busy playing alpha-male smackdown. I guess I'll have to deal with it my-"

"Enough!"

The three heroes turned to see Beacon with her arms crossed, glaring at all of them.

"Supergirl's right; we need to stop the thing before it does any more damage." The Girl of Steel smirked at the two men, "_But," _Supergirl's face fell, "we need to do it as a team."

Captain Atom, Green Arrow, and Supergirl exchanged looks with one another, and then they all nodded at the Halfa.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Captain Atom.

Beacon rubbed her chin. "We know that we take it down conventionally; so we'll need to gather more Intel on it. If we can talk to the people who built that thing, then maybe we might be able to find its weakness."

"I saw some hazmat guys down in the village earlier." Green Arrow remembered. "They should know something."

"Thought _you _weren't on the team." growled Captain Atom, causing the archer to glare at him again.

"Stop it!" interjected Beacon before another fight broke out, "we could use all the help we can get."

The two men stared at the ghost-girl for a moment, and then Captain Atom spoke again. "Okay, but I'm gonna be too busy to cover your sorry-"

"Wouldn't ask you to." interrupted Green Arrow.

Beacon sighed as shook her head. She could only hope the two would cooperate long enough for the mission to succeed.

* * *

The soldiers kept watch over the men in hazmat suits as they checked the smoking ruins of the village with Geiger counters. As they did so, they muttered to each other in worried tones. They all took a step back when they saw Supergirl, Beacon, Green Arrow, and Captain Atom approach them.

"What're we up against?" Captain Atom asked a hazmat-wearing man.

"He asked you a question!" Supergirl said when he didn't answer.

Before the man could say anything, a soldier barked, "Don't answer them! That's classified inform-ah!" He was interrupted when Supergirl lifted him off the ground by the front of his body armor.

"I've just about had it with you guys!" She glared at the soldier. "You've got 'till the count of five. One… _Four._" Her eyes began to glow red as she charged her heat vision. The soldier's uniform began to smoke.

"I'd speak up if I were you." suggested Captain Atom.

"And for your sake," Beacon added grimly, "sooner rather than later."

"It was supposed to be our protector." Supergirl turned, and saw the hazmat-wearing man sit down and pull off his helmet. Revealing radiation burns on his face. "It was supposed to protect us from the foreigners." Seeing as they were finally getting some answers, Supergirl released her grip on the soldier, who ran away in fear.

"But then you lost control of it, is that what happened?" Green Arrow theorized as he knelt in front of the burned man.

The man nodded, and then looked in the direction of several other men in hazmat suits. One of them pulled a gray rod out of a crate. "We have carbon rod dampeners. But we couldn't get close enough to put them in."

Captain Atom looked down at the man. "Where's its reactor?"

"The front of the upper torso, but it's too hot; you won't make it."

"I'll worry about that."

Beacon narrowed her eyes as she rubbed her thoughtfully. "Alright, guys," the other heroes turned to her. "I think I have a plan."

* * *

The heroes flew in the direction of the robot, Green Arrow being carried by Supergirl. They landed far enough away that the rampaging machine couldn't see them. Beacon activated her interface again and scanned the robot for a couple of seconds. Sure enough, there was an entry slot directly under the robot's chin.

"So," said Green Arrow, "What's your plan, young lady?"

Beacon's interface vanished as she turned to the other heroes. "Okay, we'll come at it from both sides; I'll get behind it and hold it off for as long as I can. While I'm doing that, Supergirl, you stick with the Captain, and do whatever he needs you to do."

"Got it." Supergirl acknowledged with a cocky smile. She was confident that their plan would work.

The Halfa turned to Green Arrow. "Arrow, take a couple of the dampeners from Captain Atom; if anything goes wrong, you're our backup. If you have a shot, take it."

Green Arrow nodded as he accepted a couple of the carbon rods from Captain Atom; it seemed like a good plan, except…

"Are you sure about this?" the archer asked the Captain, "If you get too close, the heat could fry you."

"I know." was all that the Captain said. As three heroes prepared to move out, Green Arrow called out.

"Captain!" Captain Atom turned to see the archer holding out his hand. He stared at it for a moment, and then shook it.

Beacon smirked a little and shook her head slightly. Now_ they choose to get along, _she thought. "Alright, let's go!" with that she vanished from sight.

* * *

Captain Atom and Supergirl flew towards the robot, the carbon rods tucked under Captain Atom's arm.

"Try to distract it!" he called out, "It'll give Beacon more time to get into position!"

"Roger that!" Supergirl replied. Captain Atom raised an eyebrow, realizing that she was repeating his previous words. Supergirl, in turn, winked at him and flew ahead. She moved in front of the robot's line of sight.

"Hey! Butane-breath!" The robot fired one of its cannons at her, which she dodged. Then a blast of blue energy hit the robot directly in the back, causing it to whirl around, but there was nothing there. Another energy blast hit his back, and again the machine spun around to from its attacker, only to have Supergirl sending a barrage of punches to its chest. The robot fired one of its cannons at the Girl of Steel for a second time, and again, Supergirl was able to dodge the beam. Captain Atom flew at monster's reactor, but as he did so; the heat was so intense the air around the Captain's body began to ignite. He fought through the pain, until he was right in front of the reactor; he raised a carbon rod. Then suddenly, the robot looked down, and shot a pair of energy blast from its eyes; the blast sent Captain Atom crashing to the ground. The robot then aimed one of its cannons at the downed Leaguer as another blast of blue energy hit the side of its body. This time, however its focus was on the Captain, so it didn't turn to look for whatever shot it. The robot fired its beam directly at Captain Atom, leaving him at the bottom of the crater.

Beacon, now visible, flew down and scooped Captain Atom out of the crater. "Captain, you okay? I-"She stopped mid-sentence when she took a closer look at him. "There's a rip in you suit!"

Captain Atom looked in fear at the rip across his torso; he knew what would happen next. He shot into the air, ignoring the Halfa's shout as he tried to put as much distance as he can between himself and his teammates. He was able to reach the lower atmosphere… before he exploded. An enormous ball of blue energy lit up the sky, while Supergirl, Green Arrow, and Beacon looked on in horror.

In a rage, Supergirl charged at the robot, not caring if her attacks had been ineffective the last time she'd fought the metal monster. In response, the robot slammed its arm into her, knocking the Kryptonian into a nearby hill.

Green Arrow gritted his teeth, and then looked at the carbon rod in his hands. _This thing's never gonna fly straight, _he thought. Thinking quickly, he snapped it in half. Taking one half, he then cut off a vine from a nearby tree, and wrapped the rod around one of his arrows. He looked up just in time to see a very large cannon pointed in his direction. On instinct, he began to run as fast as he could…

Beacon saw the robot fire its cannon at the archer, and then the massive explosion that lit up the area. Her eyes widened. In the span of just a few minutes, her entire team was incapacitated. For a moment, she was back in her own universe, back in that field; she saw the rubble, the lightning, and the puddles of liquid. She stared at the robot, but she only saw, saw….

"_**NO!**_"

Beacon sped towards the robot; she cocked her fist back as it glowed with energy. She punched the robot directly in the chest, a shockwave rippled from the attack as the robot stumbled backwards. The Halfa punched the machine two more times before blasting it with energy blasts from both of her hands; driving the thing to its knees.

"Kid, move!"

Beacon turned at the sound, and seems to have seen a ghost. On top of a tall rock, stood Green Arrow! His costume was torn and his hat was missing, but other than that, he didn't look like he'd suffered any serious injury. Beacon flew aside as she wondered how he'd been able to survive the blast. The archer drew his bowstring and aimed his carbon-rod tipped arrow.

"Say 'ah', dirtbag." Green Arrow let his arrow fly. The arrow's trajectory was right on the money; flying directly into the reactor. The robot let out a final roar as its fire was extinguished, rendering the once terrifying monster motionless.

With a roar of their own, Beacon and Supergirl flew up to the machine. The Kryptontian delivered a powerful uppercut, while the Halfa kicked the robot's chest as hard as she could. The robot's head was sent flying as its body toppled over, landing with a gigantic thud. Both girls looked down at Green Arrow, who fell to his knees and gave an exhausted wave. Mission accomplished.

The three Leaguers made their way to the Javelin. After letting a now-conscious Green Lantern know about what happened, Beacon flew the Javelin back to the Watchtower with the help of her interface

* * *

Once onboard the Justice League headquarters, both Greens were taken away to receive medical treatment. Beacon walked over the window, and leaned on the railing, Supergirl next to her.

"You okay?" asked Supergirl concerned.

Beacon was silent for a moment. "No, Kara, I'm not." She admitted bluntly. "It's never to lose people; not even people you've just met. And… it was my plan! He's gone because of _me_!"

The Halfa tightened her grip on the railing. Kara noticed the shine in her eyes, and wondered if it was caused by tears.

"Rachel…" said Kara as she pulled Rachel in for a hug. "… Don't think that way. It wasn't your fault, you didn't know."

The Halfa prepared herself for another one of Kara's bone-crushing hugs, but it never came. Instead, it was exceedingly gentle; it wasn't a hug of uncontrollable enthusiasm, but one of comfort; like the one she gave her that night in Smallville. Rachel gently returned the embrace.

* * *

For a while, both girls just stood there in each other's arms. However, they broke apart when Green Lantern gave a light cough. The two girls looked over to see Lantern battered and in a hoverchair, but his condition had definitely improved.

"Come with me," he said, "there's someone who probably wants to see you."

Supergirl and Beacon looked at each other curiously, but obediently followed nevertheless. They traveled to the science wing of the Watchtower, where any technological or chemical needs were met for any Leaguer that required it. Once there, they looked through a window to see several men in radiation suits and a large machine that was pumping blue energy into a suit; it looked very familiar suit…

"C-Captain Atom?" asked Beacon, not daring to hope.

Green Lantern nodded. "J'onn had a team pick him up right after it happened, so he didn't lose much of his energy."

The Halfa smiled and breathed a huge sigh of relief; the Captain was okay. She hadn't lost anyone else. She hadn't failed again. She noticed the half-filled containment suit lift an arm and give a weak thumbs-up, which she and Supergirl returned.

"At least he got a new suit out of it." said Supergirl.

"Yeah," Beacon agreed, "hopefully that new one is more tear-proof." Both girls chuckled a lot.

"All right, Rach, you've had a long first day," stated Green Lantern, "why don't you head home and get some rest. We'll bring you back up tomorrow."

Beacon nodded. "Okay, sure; I'll see you both tomorrow. Good night."

"Night, Rach!" Supergirl called out.

She turned to Green Lantern with a smirk. "So, aren't you gonna give me the 'you did good' speech?"

Green Lantern glared at the Girl of Steel, and he spoke with no emotion. "You're headstrong, unprofessional, and reckless. If Rachel hadn't come along, who knows what would've happened? You could've started an international incident; you could have gotten someone killed. If you ever act like that on a mission again, I will personally see to it that you are kicked out of the League. I don't care who you cousin is." He turned his chair and moved away, then stopped. He looked back at Supergirl's dispirited face.

"And incidentally," he added in a softer voice, "you did good." Then he left. Supergirl looked shocked for a moment; then a part of her smile returned.

* * *

As Beacon headed to the teleporter, she passed by the locker rooms and noticed Batman leaning against a wall. Curious as to what the Detective was up to, she turned invisible, and then floated the air until she was a few feet from Batman. The door to the showers opened, and Green Arrow walked out with a towel around his waist.

"Well, if it isn't the monster-killer." Batman said coolly

"I was lucky," Arrow replied humbly, "so was everybody else. Still don't think I belong up here."

"That's the point," said the Dark Knight, "someone like you will keep us honest."

"Gee, Bats, I don't know; don't get me wrong; I enjoy a good radiation burn as much as the next guy, but I don't think…" Green Arrow's eyes widened beneath his mask as his voice trailed off.

Beacon followed the archer's gaze, and saw a stunning blonde woman on the female side of the locker room. She wore a black leather jacket, black leotard, nylon stockings, and black boots, which she was slowly putting on. Black Canary was her name, if Beacon remembered correctly. Looking back at Green Arrow, she could swear that the archer was actually drooling.

"So," said Batman with a smirk, "see you soon?"

Green Arrow smiled back. "You just might."

Beacon rolled her eyes. _Oh brother_, she thought as she floated back to the teleporter, turning visible again as she landed. The Halfa smiled to herself; what an adventure this is turning out to be.

**And there you have it folks, Beacon's adventure with the Justice League has begun.**

**Now if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. You know where to leave 'em. **

**Till next time, PEACE OUT EVERYBODY!**


	6. In-between Chapter 1

**Danny Phantom and Justice League Unlimited are not owned by me. No matter how much I want them to be.**

**Hiya fellow FanFic enthusiasts! First off I want to thank you for all the views, follows, favorites, and reviews. It really motivating to know that you guys for enjoy this story so far. For it is all of you that keep this story alive, and for that I thank you.**

**Now about this chapter, I'd like to treat this as a sort of filler chapter, used for developing and introducing some characters. Now with everything out of the way; let's do this. Ready? Set, GO!**

Beacon of Justice

IN-BETWEEN Chapter 1

**Miami, 4 Months before Initiation**

After Rachel watched Clark and Diana leave, she was so overcome with excitement that she could barely think straight. The only thing on her mind was the thought of how much her life has changed. She was going to be a member of the Justice League! Granted, the initiation was still months away, but when the time comes; she is going to be working with some of the greatest heroes on the planet.

Rachel paced back and forth throughout her living room, and then sat down on the sofa as her mind began to race. _I wonder what these new members would be like, _she thought. _What their powers would be? Would they would be like…like…._

The Halfa frowned as her train of thought carried her back to her childhood; she remembered being exactly _this_ excited when she found out that she had been accepted into the Guardian program, and throughout her ten-year career; she had overcome many trails, whether alone, or with friends and family, and had found her once true love. She was having the absolute best time of her life, but then in a blink of an eye, all of her happiness was shattered. She had tried to not think about those that she had lost, but the more she tried, the more it ached. No matter how she looked at it, she could only reach one conclusion. _They_ are gone, and they won't be coming back.

Rachel was interrupted when something vibrated in her pocket. She pulled out her phone, and clicked it. The Halfa grinned when the display flashed four o'clock; she'd set her phone to signal her whenever it is time for the next activity of the day. She put her phone away as she rushed upstairs to enjoy her favorite pastime.

* * *

Rachel's phone vibrated again a couple of hours later; signaling that it was time for dinner, and later; her night patrol. The Halfa ran back downstairs into the kitchen and grabbed some leftovers from the fridge. After hastily eating her food, Rachel changed into Beacon. Then she became invisible, and used her intangibility to fly through the ceiling of her house. Once she distanced herself from her house, the Halfa turned visible again. Rachel used this routine as a way to cover her tracks. She didn't want people to figure out where she lived.

Rachel did think that was kind of redundant to conduct a patrol in a city that has hardly any crime, and it seemed that accidents were uncommon. However, she chose to patrol the city anyway, because she would go completely insane from boredom if she didn't, and the occasional crime, no matter how small, would happen.

Suddenly, Beacon heard the sound of gunfire. _Speak of the devil, _she thought. She flew to where several police officers were taking cover behind their squad cars, dodging the gunshots coming from the building in front of them.

Beacon moved over and crouch next to one of the officers "Officer, can you give me a sit-rep?"

The officer look over the roof of the car, but then quickly ducked under with the shots hit the car. "We've got a hostage situation," the officer explained, "There are multiple hostiles and hostages in the building."

Beacon nodded. "Okay, all of you hang tight. I've got it covered." With that she faded from sight. A few of the cops that had been watching nearby looked at each other breathed a sigh of relief; now that Beacon was here, they knew that the criminals would be taken care of, but their thoughts were interrupted as more shots hit their squad car.

As Beacon flew into the main lobby of the building, she spotted several gunmen firing out of various windows, and the hostages huddled in a corner of the room. Two gunmen were pointing their weapons and shouting at them.

_I need to make this quick, _she thought. Beacon split off into two, and then she and her duplicate separated. Beacon quickly knocked out the two men by the hostages, and quickly worked on undoing the bonds around their wrists and ankles. While at the same time, her duplicate disarmed the other gunmen firing out the window. As soon as all the gunmen were knocked unconscious, Beacon released her hold on her duplicate.

"Is everyone okay?" Beacon asked the crowd. The former hostages either murmured, or nodded in response. "Good, your all safe now, get out of the building as quick as you-"

Beacon whirled around when she felt the presence of two people behind her. She saw another gunman walking up to her at a slow pace, holding a woman in the hostage hold right in front of him. The woman was looked about in her late twenties; her face was stricken with terror as the tears flowed down her face.

_Dammit, _Beacon thought as she gritted her teeth, _I missed one. _

"Mommy!" The Halfa looked about over her shoulder, and saw a little girl emerge from the crowd. She was the spitting image of the woman. One person picked her up by the waist to stop her from running any further. "No! Mommy!"

"It's okay, honey," said the woman, "everything's going to be-"she gasped as the gunman poke the barrel of his gun to her head.

"Shut up, lady!" growled the gunman.

Beacon glared at the man. "Let her go!" she said through gritted teeth. The Halfa took one step forward, but didn't go any further when she heard to gun click.

"Don't come any closer, missy!" the gunman threatened. "Or the _Mommy_ gets it!"

The woman gave a little cry of fear as she tried to jerk away, but couldn't break his hold.

Beacon continued to glower at the man as she thought of a way to save to the woman. Then an idea came to her.

"I just wanna to know one thing," she said in a strangely calm voice, "You realize that you're all alone, right? And that there cops right outside the building? So what _exactly_ is you plan of escape?"

The gunman's slight hesitation was all she needed. In a blink of eye; the gun was yanked out of his hand, and a millisecond later, he grunted and toppled backwards to the floor. The woman jerked her head to the side to see a fist right where the gunman's face used to be.

"That's what I thought." said Beacon as she disassembled the gun with her one free hand, letting the pieces drop to the floor. Silence hung in the air for a few seconds, and then cheers erupted throughout the building as the people clapped, whistled, and shouted praise at the Halfa. The little girl from earlier ran up to embrace her mother. The latter scoop her up and for a while they cried into each other's shoulder. Beacon stepped away slightly to give the mother and daughter some privacy.

As the law enforcement and medical personnel burst into the lobby, the Halfa felt that it was time for her to leave.

"Wait!" Beacon turned just in time to see the little girl run up to hug her. The girl's head rested on the Halfa's stomach.

"Thank you." sobbed the little girl.

Beacon smiled as she knelt down be eye level with the little girl, and then put both hands on her shoulders. "I'm just glad that all of you're safe."

The little girl beamed as she embraced her again, in which the ghost-girl happily returned. Beacon looked up at the little girl's mother, whose face was still shiny with tears.

"Bless you." The mother whispered.

Beacon nodded as she and the little girl broke apart and the latter hurried back to her mother. Then the Halfa she rose into the air, and waved at them both.

"You stay safe now." Then she phased through the ceiling.

* * *

The rest of Rachel's patrol around Miami was relatively quiet after the hostage situation; there were no accidents, and no new crimes to stop. She was now sitting on the edge of the roof the city's tallest building, watching both the star-filled sky, and the tiny headlights down below. She smiled brightly as she thought about how grateful all those people were when she came to save them. How the mother and daughter were overcome with joy as they were reunited. She was just about to head back home when she felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out and widened her eyes when she read the caller ID.

"Um…" the Halfa said hesitantly as she answered, "Hello? This is Rachel speaking."

"_Miss Rachel,_" a calm, British voice spoke on the other end, "_I trust that you are well._"

"Oh, uh, hi Alfred," this is weird, why was Batman's butler calling her? "I'm fine; is there something I can help you with?"

"_Actually_, _it is not me, but rather Master Bruce that requires your assistance,_" explained the butler, "_You see, Master Bruce will be away from Gotham City for a few days; he would like for you to come here and cover his 'work' for him."_

Rachel realized what kind of work Alfred was talking about, since it was highly unlikely that Bruce wanted her to run a multibillion dollar business. Still, the Halfa found it strange that the Dark Knight wanted her to cover his crime-fighting duties.

"Okay," answered Rachel, "I'll be right there."

"_Excellent. I will let Master Bruce know, and prepare a room at Wayne Manor for you._"

"Thank you, Alfred, I'll see you soon." As she hung up, Rachel turned back into her ghost form, and flew off towards Gotham.

* * *

**Gotham City, Wayne Manor**

Beacon turned back into her human form when she landed on the edge of the forest outside Wayne Manor. As she approached the wrought-iron gates, they swung open. The Halfa blinked, it's as if somebody was watching her approach.

_Oookkkaaayyy_, Rachel thought, _nothing creepy about that._

Rachel surveyed the mansion as she walked towards the front door. It had been repaired since the Thanagarian invasion, and all the lights were on inside the house. Rachel reached the door and knocked. A moment later, a young boy, probably in his early teens, opened it.

"Rachel Robertson?" the boy asked suspiciously.

"Um, yes?" Rachel replied as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Prove it, show me your powers."

Rachel blinked at him, why was he acting so tense? Then again, this was Bruce Wayne's house, so maybe the kid was Robin; she'd seen him a couple of times on the news, and he was the right height and age.

The Halfa didn't keep her eyes off the boy as her body flashed between tangibility and intangibility. "Good enough?"

The boy's frown remained as he looked behind Rachel; apparently looking for something that she couldn't see. Then he gestured for her to enter the manor. Once the door closed, his frown turned upside down.

"I've seen you on the news; you are absolutely awesome!"

Rachel didn't know what to say. She'd thought that anyone near Batman to be a lot more subdued. The boy held out his hand. "I'm Tim Drake by the way, AKA Robin."

Rachel shook Tim's hand as she gave herself a mental pat on the back for guessing his name right.

"Come on," Tim resumed, "Barbara needs to see us down in Cave."

"And Barbara would be…."

Tim froze. "Oops. I've said too much." He lightly smacked his forehead. "Okay, she's Batgirl, and don't call her by her real name unless she's told you herself. Okay? I don't want her to hurt me."

Rachel smirked. "Sure, no problem."

* * *

Once the two teens were in the Batcave, Rachel saw someone sitting at the computer. It was a young woman that wore a costume that was similar to Batman's. Rachel noticed that her mask wasn't connected to her cape; instead, it only covered her face and the top of her head, allowing her long red hair to flow over her cape. Batgirl turned around when she heard their footsteps approaching.

"Hey, Tim," she turned to Rachel, "and you must be Rachel Robertson; Batman told us about you."

"Has he?" Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Who knew he was one to gossip?"

Batgirl's giggle made the Halfa smile slightly. "Yeah, I think he said about four sentences regarding you. You should be grateful; that must be a new record for him."

Rachel smiled for a moment, but then her expression turned serious. "So, either of you know the reason as to why I'm here?" While she enjoyed the casual conversation, she knew Batman needed her for something, and she was intent to find out.

Both Batgirl and Tim looked a little upset at the Halfa's question. "Bruce is away for a meeting overseas." Batgirl explained. "He wants you to help us patrol Gotham while he's away."

"This is so unfair!" Tim blurted out, "He doesn't trust us enough to take care of things for a couple of days without him!"

Rachel thought about this for moment; it did seem odd to her too. Why wouldn't Batman trust the people who knew his greatest secret with patrolling the city for a few days?

"Sorry if I'm intruding; I can leave if you want."

Batgirl dismissed this with a wave of her hand. "Forget it; our problem is with Bats, not you." Just then an alert sounded on the computer. Batgirl turned her attention to the screen. "There's a robbery on twenty-nine street. Police are en route."

"About time," Tim exclaimed, "I've been dying for some action."

Batgirl nodded. "Suit up." She turned to Rachel. "Both of you."

The Halfa nodded as she transformed into Beacon. Batgirl watched as her blue rings travel up and down her body.

"Nice." She smiled.

Rachel grinned back. "Thanks."

Robin came back a moment later, now in his costume; he whistled when he saw that Beacon had replaced Rachel. Then both partners of the Dark Knight hopped onto their motorcycles and sped down the tunnel leading out of the Batcave, with Beacon flying right behind them.

* * *

**Gotham city, Twenty-Ninth Street**

When the trio reached the crime scene, the robbers had already left, and the police were securing the area with police tape. The officers noticed them approach, and while they gave nods of greeting towards Batgirl and Robin, they eyed Beacon curiously.

The Halfa looked at the store. The front window was shattered and from what she could tell from her position, a lot of the jewelry had been stolen.

"Aw, great," while Robin, "Bullock is here." Beacon turned and noticed a particularly large detective walking towards them.

"Oh, yippee, the Bat's kids are here," The detective was clearly not happy to see them. He raised an eyebrow at Beacon. "And who are you supposed to be? You know what-"He raised his hands. "I don't wanna know; I don't need another headache." Before anyone could respond, he turned on his heel and walked away.

"What a charming fella." The Halfa's sarcastic comment brought smirks from Batgirl, Robin and a few of the officers that heard her.

"Come on," said Batgirl, "we need to take a look at the crime scene." Batgirl, Robin, and Beacon approached the store, where a female detective was kneeling next to the broken window, examining the window.

"What have you got, Miss Alcana?" asked Batgirl. The woman stood up and turned to face the three heroes. Beacon noticed she had short brown hair, light brown eyes, and a beauty mark under her left eye.

"Well," the detective began, "there really hasn't been anything yet; aside from the missing jewelry. The perps hid their tracks well."

"Okay, we'll take a look inside," replied Batgirl. "Thanks."

The detective nodded as Batgirl and Robin walked through the door, while Beacon floated through the window.

"Show-off." Robin snorted, while the Halfa shrugged.

The two partners of Batman walked around the jewelry store, checking every inch of the store. Beacon could tell that they were excellent detectives; they left no stone unturned. Batman had trained them very well. After a few minutes, they walked back to Beacon.

"Well we know what was stolen…" Batgirl began.

"We know when the jewelry was stolen…" continued Robin.

"And we know how it stolen…" Batgirl added.

"…But we need to know _who_ stole it." Beacon finished. Batgirl and Robin both nodded.

"Ha! I knew someday that one of you caped freaks would screw up!" the three turned to see Bullock leaning against the doorframe with a smug grin on his face.

The female detective that stood next to him elbowed his large midsection. "Bullock, you're not helping." she said as she eyed the large detective irritably.

Bullock's grin vanished as he raised his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Aw, come on, Sonia. I was just having a little fun." The detective known as Sonia rolled her eyes.

"Hmm… maybe not," said Beacon, "Let me give it a try."

The Halfa flew out the broken window, and floated right above the shards of broken glass. She then narrowed her eyes as her interface activated. Batgirl, Robin, Bullock, and Sonia all looked curiously as the blue holographic strip appeared in front of Beacon's eyes.

Titbits of small text appeared on the visor's screen as Beacon stared at the glass on the ground. A moment later, she looked at the window frame, where a holographic representation of the window appeared on screen, and then as lines of code flowed up from the bottom of the interface's screen to the top as she watched the simulation window being scattered by a large object.

"Based on the shattered pieces; the window was smashed by a large blunt object." Beacon recited. Then as the Halfa studied the ground by looking through her device, she noticed a pair of footprints illuminated on the visor. "There's a set of footprints here, and…huh, that's odd."

"What's the matter?" asked Batgirl.

Beacon looked at the group. "There's two set of footprints in front of the window; one facing the store, and one facing away from the store, but that's it. That means whoever broke the window didn't walk into the store…" She rubbed her chin for a moment, trying to make sense of things. "…Unless…" She floated back into the store through the window, keeping her eyes on the floor. "Aha!"

"What is it?" Robin questioned.

Beacon followed at the pattern of both hand and footprints on the floor. She stopped when she saw them lead to a smashed glass case, and then followed the footsteps back to the window. Then Beacon deactivating her interface and landed next to the group, who were all waiting patiently for the Halfa to tell them what she found. Well, most of them were patient, anyway.

"So what'd you find with the fancy specs?" Bullock demanded.

Beacon looked at him impassively for a second, and then turned to the two crime fighters. "Based on the handprints and the footprints, I ran a simulation on how this place was broken into; first, this person smashed the window, then jumped into the store, and then did a series of cartwheels across the room before smashing the case and stealing the jewelry. After that, the thief ran back to the window and jumped out of the store."

"How'd you know it was only one thief?" asked Sonia

"The prints were all the same," Beacon answered.

"So let's add up what we have," Batgirl began, rubbing her chin, "The window was smashed by a large object…"

"And whoever stole the jewelry seemed to be quiet athletic…"

Another second passed before both partners of Batman's jerked their heads to look at each other.

"_Harley!_" they exclaimed.

"Who's that?" Beacon looked between both of them.

"Harley Quinn," Robin elaborated, "She's a psycho, and the Joker's bit-"

"Robin!" interrupted Batgirl. As the Boy Wonder closed his mouth, she turned to Beacon. "She's a dangerous criminal who's known to use a giant mallet as a weapon, and she's also a skilled acrobat."

"That would explain the prints on the floor." The Halfa said.

"It does," agreed Batgirl, and then she turned to the detectives. "Bullock, Sonia, can you put out a bulletin for Harley over at Gotham PD?"

"Got it." Sonia nodded.

"_Sure_, why not." Bullock sulked off. Sonia rolled her eyes as she shook her head. After bidding the heroes goodbye, she walked off after Bullock.

"Aww, I miss that big guy already," Beacon noted, "He was such pleasure to be around."

Batgirl and Robin both laughed.

* * *

**Wayne Manor, Batcave**

After returning to the Batcave, the three heroes sat down eating food that Alfred had made for them. Unlike Batman, the young heroes started to lose focus from their work without three meals a day. As they ate, Rachel asked the other two.

"So, how dangerous is this _Joker_?"

Batgirl and Robin froze and exchanged looks; apparently this was a very sensitive subject.

"Think of the complete opposite of Batman," explained Batgirl, "and then picture him in a purple suit and clown makeup. And presto, you have the Joker."

"Also imagine him with the creepiest grin ever, and a laugh that can give you nightmares." Robin added.

Rachel felt chills down her spine. Then the alarm on the computer sounded again. The three heroes bolted to the console, Batgirl sat down on the seat and started typing vigorously.

"Another jewelry store on Broadway was robbed" she announced.

"Think it's Quinn?" asked Robin.

"No question." Batgirl announced. "Come on."

The partners of Batman embarked their motorcycles, while Beacon floated in the air. Then they sped off out of the Batcave.

* * *

**Gotham City**

"Y'know somethin'? I don't even know why they bother to lock their doors!"

Harley Quinn sat in the passenger seat of a black convertible as it sped through the streets of Gotham City. The jester rampaged through her burlap sack that was filled with the stolen jewels, and pulled out an amulet with a ruby that was as big as an egg.

"Ohhhhh….." Harley mused as she examined the jewelry piece, and then she turned to the driver; a pale skinned women, with long red hair, pale blue eyes, and dark lips. "You think Mr. J would like it?"

"Hmm, don't know," Poison Ivy answered coolly, "but let's go hit a few more places before we-"Ivy stopped abruptly when she noticed the pair of headlights in the rear-view mirror. "Harley, we've got company."

Harley turned around, and then expressed a grimace.

"Great! The _Bat-Brats_ are here to ruin the fun!" she leaned over to the backseat and pulled out her bazooka. "Don't worry Red; I'll take care of 'em." The Jester looked down the bazooka's sight, and then pulled the trigger.

"Move!" Batgirl ordered as she and Robin swerved to avoid the incoming rocket. An explosion could be heard behind them as the rocket collided with something.

"WOW!" Robin exclaimed. "Thatwas _way _too close."

"Drat!" Harley scowled. "Gimme a second!" she hurriedly worked to reload her weapon.

Poison Ivy snarled into the rear-view mirror. "Allow me…" she extended her hand to the side, and then opened her palm. As she did so, little pellets flew out of her hand. Immediately after making contact with the ground, the little pellets sprouted into large thorned branches. They twisted and contorted until they formed a thick barricade of razor sharp thorns.

Batgirl and Robin looked shockingly at the obstacle in front of them, realizing that it's too late to stop. Both of them fired their grappling hook at a high angle, landing on the rooftop of nearby building at their motorcycles exploded upon crashing into the thorn barricade.

"Come on!" Batgirl barked as the pair hopped from rooftop to rooftop, determined to not let the two villains escape.

"Nice one, Red." Harley smirked.

Ivy smirked back as she stepped the gas pedal, except she noticed that the car wouldn't accelerate, frowning she floored that gas pedal; the engine roaring in response, but the car still wouldn't move any faster. Quite the contrary, the convertible was actually slowing down.

"What the-?" Poison Ivy began as the car slowed to a complete stop. Then something or rather _someone _appeared out of thin air, causing both criminals to scream and jump back.

"W-Who the heck is _she_?" Harley demanded as Beacon's intangible hands reach into the front of the car, and a second later, the Halfa pulled out the entire engine block, and set it down on the hood; metal creaked and the car dipped forward at the extra weight. Finally Beacon flew above the windshield and grabbed both Harley and Ivy by the front of their collars. Then she landed back on the ground; with the two criminals dangling a few feet off the road.

"End of the line, you two." The Halfa pointed out. Harley and Poison Ivy looked at each other for a moment, and then exchanged light smirks. Ivy opened her hand, and blew something to Beacon's eyes.

"AHH!" The Halfa screamed as she felt her eyes sear with pain. The Halfa instinctively shut her eyes and covered her face with her hands. With the mysterious girl now occupied, Harley ran back to the car, grabbed a large gym bag, and hoisted it on one shoulder. The Jester turned and noticed Batgirl and Robin sprinting towards her. Harley rummaged through her bag until she took out a red boxing glove, and then aiming it at the duo, she launched the glove.

Unfortunately for Harley, Batgirl and Robin were able to dodge the projectile by ducking underneath it. Robin, who was right behind her, threw a bola at the Jester. Harley struggled against the gadget that pinned her arms against her sides tightly, but then she was just able to make out Batgirl's shadow when she punched her squarely in the jaw. With a wretched grunt, the Jester fell to the ground unconscious.

Both partners of Batman smirked at the motionless Harley on the ground. However they celebration was short-lived as tiny seeds landed on their bodies. Upon contact, thick vegetation began to sprout from the seeds, encasing the two crime fighters. Batgirl and Robin tried to fight against it, but the plants were unyielding, and soon enough they were both trapped inside a cocoon of vegetation.

Poison Ivy walked in between the two cocoons. "These kids just _never_ learn…" she bragged as she shook her head. She was about to lay more seeds down when something blurred in front of her, catching her wrist, and holding on to it painfully tight. Ivy grunted and looked to see Beacon standing there, one eye was squeezed shut, while the other was half-way opened and twitching slightly. Tears flowed freely from both eyes.

"Don't count _me_ out." The Halfa grunted. Poison Ivy's blue eyes grew to the size of pool balls right before Beacon slugged her in the forehead, knocking her out cold. She didn't fall flatly to the ground, because Beacon still had a hold on her wrist.

* * *

After blinking several times and wiping away her tears, Beacon's eyes regained the proper function. She ran towards where Batgirl and Robin were trapped, and pulled them out with her intangibility. When the Halfa pulled them out, aside from their costumes being torn up slightly, both crime fighters seemed unharmed. However, when Beacon released her grip on the two, making them tangible again, Batgirl and Robin both hug their arms and shivered violently.

"_C-C-cold._" Batgirl struggled.

"Oh, sorry…" Beacon smiled apologetically. "It's a side effect when someone isn't used to it."

"I-I d-don't think I'll ever g-get used it." Robin said through chattering teeth. Beacon maintained her smile and shrugged.

After a couple of minutes, Batgirl and Robin had regained their body heat. They then handcuffed Harley and Poison Ivy and waited for the Gotham PD to arrive on the scene. After the two criminals were taken away, Bullock and Sonia stayed to exchange a few words with the heroes.

"Well, looks like you two aren't _completely _useless without the Bat after all." Bullock sneered.

"Hey!" yelled Robin as he pointed his thumb at his chest. "We handled it."

Bullock looked up and down his torn costume, and then etched a smug smirk. "_Yeah_, _yeah_, sure you did, Boy Wonder." With that he turned and walked back to his car.

"Snobby jerk." Robin muttered.

Sonia just looked at three of them. "Thank you," she said. "We'll take care of everything from here."

They all exchanged nods. Then as Sonia turned to enter the squad car, the heroes scaled to a nearby rooftop. They continued going from rooftop to rooftop until they made it back to the tunnel to the Batcave. When they reached its dark interior, Robin finally spoke up.

"I'd say that went well," he claimed, the two girls eyed him curiously. "Okay, so it wasn't perfect, but we still got the job done! I don't see why Batman wouldn't trust us more often."

Beacon changed back into Rachel as she thought about this more deeply, and then realized something.

"I don't think it's like that."

The partners of Batman exchanged looks. "What do you mean?" Robin asked confusingly.

"I don't think he asked me to come here because he doesn't trust you two. " Rachel explained. "I think he asked for me to come here because he wanted to protect you two."

"_What_?" Robin jeered. "We don't need protection."

Rachel raised her hands in a gesture of peace. "Hey, hey, take it easy, just hear me out." She lowered her hands and walked over to the display that housed the Batsuits. "While I would agree that both of you are more than capable of handling yourselves out there." Batgirl and Robin frowned; they knew there was more than Rachel was leading on, and sure enough, "but, you both lost focus over a small victory, and _that _left you open for Poison Ivy's attack. If I hadn't been there, who knows what could've happened."

The Cave was silent for a moment. "So, what are you trying to say?" questioned Robin.

Rachel turned around and eyed the two intently. "Batman has done a lot for me; providing me with a home, and a new identity. He even wrote my parents' will and death certificates. I think him finding out what happened to me had opened some old wounds, and he just didn't want it to happen again; he just wants to keep you two safe." The Halfa placed both hands on the shoulders of Batgirl and Robin. "This isn't about trust; it's about not losing the ones he cares about."

Rachel knew what she was saying when she mentioned "old wounds". While adjusting to her new home, she had done some research on the Dark Knight, or more specifically; Bruce Wayne. She found out how his parents were murdered right in front of his eyes. It had been heartbreaking to find out how Bruce's life was turned violently turned upside down by a common mugger with a gun.

Batgirl and Robin's eyes found the floor; they were ashamed that their trust in Batman was shaken so easily. Rachel was probably right; they, including Alfred were the closest thing Bruce had to a family, and they barely survived the Thanagarian invasion. Batman was sure to be a little protective for a while.

"I never thought about like that." Robin admitted slowly.

The Cave was silent for a moment. Then Batgirl looked at her partner in crime. "Let's be more careful from now on." Robin nodded. Batgirl turned back to Rachel and pulled off her mask with one hand while extending her other one for the Halfa to shake. "I'm Barbara, by the way, Barbara Gordon."

Rachel smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Barbara." The two shook hands.

* * *

The next couple of days were pretty uneventful; the worst that the three heroes had to deal with were a few attempted muggings. Otherwise, they stayed at Wayne Manor. Normally, Barbara would be spending most of her time in college, but since her school had a series of faculty meetings, she was off for a few days.

They chose to spend their free time training. Rachel would transform into her ghost form, and the Batgirl and Robin would try to find ways to beat her. This was quite the challenge as the Halfa's sensory, intangibility, and invisibility had made it extremely difficult. However when Rachel chose to train with them in her human form, the odds were dead even; the skills the two Gothamites possessed were undeniable.

"Wow," Tim panted as the three of bent over gasping for breath, "You're tough on _both _ends."

Rachel smiled as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Thanks, but you didn't think I'd neglect training my human half, did you?"

They all laughed softly.

* * *

After their training sessions, the three heroes would share stories of their adventures. However, it was mostly just Rachel telling Barbara and Tim about her life in her own universe.

"Hold on a second…" Tim cut in, as if he didn't hear something properly. "….Did you say _girlfriend_?"

Rachel blinked confusingly at him. "Umm, yeah? Why? Is there a problem?"

Tim widened his eyes as he had his hands up defensively. "No, sorry!" he answered embarrassingly. "It's just that I never expected-"He stopped talking as he don't know how to finish the sentence.

Barbara shook her head, and then glanced at the Halfa. "I'm sorry about him."

Rachel chuckled slightly. "Oh, that's okay. Don't worry about it."

When Batman finally returned, he gave brief thank-you, and told Rachel to leave. Rachel said her farewells to Barbara, Tim, and Alfred, and then headed home. She couldn't figure out why, but the more good that she did, the better she felt about everything. Maybe it was because she was preventing other families from any mourning.

After Rachel left, Barbra Gordon sat down on the couch in the living room in Wayne Manor, deep in thought. Listening to Rachel's stories had sparked a recent memory from a phone call she had before the Halfa arrived in Gotham city.

* * *

**Wayne Manor, a few days earlier**

"Hello?"

"_Hi, Babs, it's Kara."_

"Oh, hey Kara, what's up?"

"_Nothing much, but listen: I need you opinion on something."_

"Sure Kara, what is it?"

Silence hung in the air as Barbra waited for Kara to speak on the other line. Then the Kryptonian took a deep breath.

"_So…. I've met someone, and lately this person has been on my mind a lot lately…. "_

"So..." Barbra worked on putting the pieces together. "… What you are trying to say is you like this _person_."

There was another moment of silence. Barbara's smiled as she imagined her best friend's face going red. Clearly, she had guessed right.

"_Ugh, I don't know, I-I'm just so confused." _Barbra frowned as she noticed the edge in Kara's voice.

"What are you confused about? Is this person kind of sketchy?"

"_No, no, it's just-"_Barbra heard Kara sigh into the other line. _"It's just that… she's a girl."_

Silence filled the room again. Barbra widened her eyes; this caught her completely off guard. "So… you _like_ a girl…" Barbra finally realized.

"_Is that weird?" _

Barbara regained her composure, and spoke in a reassuring tone. "Of course it's not, Kara. Although I would admit it's… different, but it doesn't matter what I think; what's important is what _you _think."

When Kara didn't answer, Barbara continued.

"Listen, even if you're unsure about all this. You should at least talk to her, and even if she doesn't give you the answer you were hoping for, you wouldn't have to live the rest of your life with the regret of not knowing."

"_I-I don't know…"_

"I'm not saying you need to do it _now. _Just do it when you feel the time's right."

"_O-okay. I'll think about it."_

"Good, and one more thing, Kara."

"_Yeah?"_

"No matter what happens, I want you to know that you're my best friend and I will always support you."

"Thanks, Babs." Barbara grinned when she heard the hopefulness in Kara's voice.

"Sure thing, Kara." Barbara said before Kara hung up.

* * *

**Present day**

_Huh, what are the odds? _ Barbara thought as she figured out who Kara had fallen for. She smiled as she thought more about it. She couldn't quite put her finger one it, but Rachel and Kara just seemed like they'd go well together.

"This is going to be interesting." She muttered to herself.

* * *

**Okay, I hope you enjoyed me introducing the characters from the Batman universe. In addition to Justice League, Batman was one of my favorite; that and Batman Beyond.**

**I'd like to apologize if some of you were thrown off by Tim's slight homophobia. I don't know what the normal reaction would be if you found out someone that you just met was a homosexual. Me, personally I wouldn't freak-out about it, and would generally just acknowledge it.**

**Thank you all for reading, and I will see you all next time. Stay frosty out there! **


	7. Chapter 6

**Danny Phantom does not belong to me.**

**Justice League Unlimited does not belong to me.**

**And now here is Chapter Six for everyone to see.**

Beacon of Justice

Chapter 6

**North Pole; the Fortress of Solitude**

Wonder Woman steered her invisible plane out from the pale white clouds, and headed for a massive ice structure that seemed completely unnatural from the otherwise frozen plain. The plane dove into the water at the edge of the ice, and head into a tunnel carved deep from the surface.

"A little sharp on the turn, don't you think?" asked Batman.

"Sorry if I scared you." Wonder Woman apologized sarcastically.

Rachel giggled, but stopped when she saw Batman give her one of his signature Batglares. The Halfa smirked as she rolled her eyes away from the Dark Knight.

As the plane surfaced in an icy cave, the cockpit opened and the three Leaguers hopped out. Wonder Woman stopped to pull out a box covered in gift wrap. Rachel pulled out a chrome sphere the size of basketball.

As they walked through the tunnel, Batman eyed the sphere curiously. "So…" he said slowly. "You got him a _ball_?"

Rachel smirked. "Oh it's more than _that_. This is just something I whipped up from the science division on the Watchtower; the Kents, Kara, and Steel helped me work on it."

"I didn't know you were such an inventor." noted Wonder Woman.

Rachel silently looked at the Amazon for a second, and then smiled. "Thanks, but I didn't invent this," she lifted the sphere slightly higher. "It's actually based on my cousin's design. He was the real inventor."

As they began walking up a flight of stairs, Batman asked, "So, what does it do?"

"_Bruce,_" Wonder Woman shook her head. "She can't say anything; he'll hear you spoil the surprise."

"You do realize," replied Batman in a mock-whisper, "He can hear that too."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "What'd _you _get him, Bats?"

Batman raised an eyebrow. "He isn't the easiest person to buy birthday presents for." he answered as he pulled out an envelope.

The other two Leaguers stared at the envelope. "Bruce…" began Wonder Woman.

"You didn't get him a gift certificate, did you?" Rachel finished for her.

"_No!_" Batman replied defensively, "…Cash."

Both the Amazon and the Halfa looked at each other as they struggled not to laugh.

"I mean," the other ladies turned as Batman continued, "What do you get for the man who has everything?"

* * *

As they reached the top of the stairs, they froze. Standing in front of them stood Superman, but he was just standing motionless in the center of the room. There was a strange purple plant had its vines twisted around his body, and there was a blank look in his eyes. Without hesitation, the trio rushed towards the Man of Steel.

Batman examined the plant closely. "It seems to be growing through his costume and into his body."

"Is he breathing?" asked Wonder Woman anxiously.

"Barely." The Dark Knight replied grimly.

"But… how is the thing piercing his skin?" Rachel questioned. "I thought he was…"The Halfa jerked her head towards the stairs behind Superman. "… Someone's here, up the stairs!"

"I've got it!" Wonder Woman flew on ahead while Rachel turned into her ghost-form. As she was about to fly off after the Amazon, Batman called out to her.

"Wait, I need you to stay here to help me with Clark."

The Halfa looked at the top of the stairs, whatever she felt earlier was stay there. Nevertheless, she hurried back to Batman. "Okay, but do you know anything about this thing?"

Batman reached into is utility belt and pulled out a flashlight. Then he shined it in Superman's eyes. "Pupils aren't contracting even slightly," he muttered to, "he must be cut off from all sensation. Kent, where are you?"

Beacon bit her lower lip, and then looked down at the container at Superman's feet. It was two halves of an oval-shaped package. As she knelt to examine it, a thought came to her. "So it was a gift," the Halfa realized.

Batman picked up one of the halves. "It must've been teleported here by some alien culture or some grateful world. Or someone who wanted Clark to think that they were grateful."

Before his train of thought traveled any further, Batman heard Beacon gasp. He turned to see a massive figure standing in the entrance to the hallway that Wonder Woman had flown through. He was huge, yellow-skinned alien, and wore a purple jumpsuit. He was clutching an unconscious Wonder Woman in one of his massive hands.

"How remarkable," the alien commented smugly with a smirk on his face as he started to walk down the stairs, "You animals are really _almost_ intelligent. That's exactly what happened."

Rachel stood up and glared at the alien. "And just who the heck are you?"

"Mongul," Batman growled as he too got to his feet.

Beacon's eyes widened as the memory of that name came back to her. Since her initiation into the Justice League, the Halfa had studied the mission logs in the Watchtower's computers to gather more information on the League's past missions, as well as examining the files on the villains they'd fought. She remembered reading Mongul's file, apparently; he was strong enough to be a threat to even Superman.

"You recognized me," Mongul remarked in a sadistic tone. "I'm flattered. I'm sure that Superman told you about our previous encounter."

Batman raised an eyebrow. "You mean how he humiliated you?"

Mongul's smirk disappeared as he marched up to the two Leaguers. "A… jaundiced account."

"Let her go, you creep." Beacon demanded.

Mongul glared between both of them, and then held up Wonder Woman as if she were an insect that was being examined. "What inferior specimens he surrounds himself with. I took her down before she even knew I was there. And I'll take this whole planet _just_ as easily."

At that exact moment; Wonder Woman's eyes snapped open, and swung both of her legs into Mongul's face. The shock of the impact caused him to release his grip on her, and drove him to one knee.

"Maybe not as easily as you think." The Amazon said. Mongul rubbed his jaw and glared at her as she continued. "We 'inferior specimens' call it 'playing possum'." Mongul got back up to his feet.

Beacon rushed to Wonder Woman's side. As she, Wonder Woman and Mongul got into their combat stances; Batman stepped between all of them.

"No." he barked.

Wonder Woman stared at him in complete shock. "No?!"

"What are you doing, Bats?" Beacon demanded.

With a superior smile on his face, Mongul stepped up to them. "Clearly the males on this planet are the smart ones." Beacon snarled at the alien; he was really starting to get on her nerves. "He wants to know about the plant." He walked up to Superman. "The Black Mercy is a telepathic species; it reads the heart's desire and feeds the individual a totally convincing simulation of it." It didn't seem possible; the massive alien's smile became even more sinister.

"So he's dreaming." Batman put together.

"That is wrong on _so _many levels." Beacon remarked.

Mongul's expression looked almost offended. "Oh, this is far deeper than any dream." He tilted Superman's face up to look into his eyes. "I wonder where he thinks her is?" Sitting on a throne, ruling the universe? All you human garbage fawning at his feet? More honest, don't you think, than this pretense of being a selfless hero?"

Mongul turned to see Wonder Woman slam into him. The Amazon punched Mongo twice in the face, making Mongul stumble back a few feet. After striking him, Wonder Woman nearly collapsed. Both Batman and Beacon rushed to her side; Apparently, Mongul was so strong that she'd nearly broken her hands hitting him.

Mongul wiped his mouth, and then stood back up with a wicked smirk. "You don't understand," he quipped, "_He _was the only obstacle in my way. The rest of you, are already dead."

Beacon groaned loudly as she stepped in front of Batman and Wonder Woman. "Can you _please_ just stop talking?!" The Halfa held her hands out, and shot a pair of energy beams at the large alien, hitting him in the chest and made him fall to his knees. This time, Mongul felt pain, and as he looked at the smoke flicker on his chest, he wondered how a child could possess that much power.

* * *

Deciding to join the fight, Batman and Wonder Woman charged. Mongul, however, was more ready for these two. He dodged Wonder Woman's attack and backhanded her into a stalagmite. Batman jumped on to his back in an attempt to subdue the alien, but Mongul reached back and grabbed the Dark Knight's head. He then threw Batman onto the ground, causing him to skip across until he stopped behind Superman. Before Mongul could crush Batman, an energy beam hit him in the side of his torso. He turned as Beacon kneed him in the jaw, and quickly spun around and extended her leg right into his face. Mongul recovered enough to thrust his fist at the ghost-girl. Unfortunately for him, Beacon deflected his attack downwards and delivered a spinning heel kick to his cheek, causing the alien to stumble sideways a few feet. When Mongul turned to glare at the girl, he realized that she had disappeared. A second later, he felt pain as his chest was pummeled several times. Then he felt something slammed under his chin, lifting him off his feet and making him fall on his back viciously.

Mongul got back to his feet and saw Beacon, Batman, and Wonder Woman standing in front of him, all ready to continue the fight. The alien decided he needed a different tactic; he'd kill the Bat and the Amazon first, and then focus all of his energy against the child. However, Batman had other plans.

"Diana! Can you keep him busy for a few minutes? I think Rachel's powers could help get this thing off of Superman!"

Wonder Woman nodded, and then tackled Mongul, knocking him through a wall, and then followed after him.

"Are you sure she'll be okay?" The Halfa asked, concerned.

"Don't worry. Diana can take care of herself. _We_ have a bigger problem." Batman gestured to the Black Mercy. "Can you use your intangibility to get thing off of Superman."

Beacon nodded. "Okay." Then she grabbed the plant and turned intangible. Sure enough, the Black Mercy turned intangible with her, but so did Superman. Beacon stared at the plant, and tried again, but both the Black Mercy and Superman turned intangible together.

"I can't turn one without the other." The Halfa turned to the Dark Knight. "The plant must be too deeply connected with him."

Batman narrowed his eyes for a moment. "Then we need to do it the old-fashioned way."

Beacon nodded, and then tightened her grip on the plant. At first, it wouldn't budge; bracing herself, she pulled as hard as she could. Slowly but surely, the Black Mercy began to come off. Taking this as good sign, the Halfa pulled harder. Suddenly, it detached itself from Superman and jumped right at her!

She gasped as the Black Mercy wrapped itself around her chest. Her hands jumped up to it in an attempt to pry it off, but before she could, her face went blank.

"No!" cried Batman, as Beacon's arms fell limply to her sides.

* * *

**Hall of Weapons**

Wonder Woman slid across the floor, her body covered in scratches and bruises. As Mongul approached her, the Amazon picked up a large weapon at her side and aimed it at the alien.

"Oh dear," Mongul raised his hands in mock surrender. "Is that a Neural Impactor?" he lowered his hands and stalked towards Wonder Woman. "I didn't know they were still making those." Wonder Woman looked down the Impactor's sight, and honed in on Mongul. "I'd advise you to try the Plasma Disruptor. It's more of a _woman's_ weapon."

"Go to…" She fired the Impactor, a bright yellow energy beam shot straight into Mongul's chest. The blast made skid across the floor a few feet, but then the alien crossed his arms in front of him and walked back towards Wonder Woman. The Amazon widened her eyes as Mongul steadily approached her. When he finally reached her, he yanked the weapon out of her hands and grabbed her neck. Wonder Woman punched his face, but it didn't seem to faze him as he locked his other hand around her throat.

Wonder Woman grunted as she attempted to pry the alien's fingers off around her neck, but his grip was to strong. She tried again, kneeing him in the abdomen, but Mongul just slammed her to the ground.

"First I'll kill you, the Bat, and the child," He stated. "Then I'll take this planet."

"You, won't, win." She choked.

Mongul crept closer to Wonder Woman. "Of course I will." He said cruelly. Then he lifted her up, and slammed the Amazon back into ground. Finally for good measure, he stomped on her with his massive boot.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

The water flowed freely from the faucet as Rachel splashed the cool liquid on her face. After turning off the water, she wiped her face clean with a towel, and then looked into the mirror. As her reflection's clear face beamed back at her, Rachel thought about the day ahead. _Wonder what assignments we're gonna get today?_ Rachel took a deep breath, she could hardly wait.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a hard knock on the bathroom door. The Halfa opened the door and saw a girl about her age. She had pale white skin, light amber eyes, and short, perfectly shiny and straight hair dark purple hair; on the left side of her bangs were an X-shaped silver ornament and a gold one shaped like two parallel stripes right next to it. She wore a black leather jacket that came with a hood over a white V-neck t-shirt, a pair of dark colored short jeans with a chain tied to two loops on one side, black stockings that gradually fade to purple near the bottom, and black hi-top sneakers.

"Are you going to be ready sometime this year?" she questioned as she crossed her arms.

Rachel smiled as she flung her arms around the girl's neck. Then she leaned in and kissed her. "Sorry about that, Ari," she said when they broke apart. "I'm just excited to start the day."

Ariella rolled her eyes. "You say that every morning, and if you are _actually _excited, I'd imagine you'd _hurry_ so you could start the day sooner."

Rachel giggled. "I suppose you're right." Their lips met again.

"Ay, you two!" shouted someone from down the stairs. "If you aren't coming we're leaving without you!"

Ariella looked at the Halfa, smirking a little. "You think he'll be true to his word?"

Rachel gazed into the other girl's eyes and smirked. "No way, he wouldn't dare." She held her girlfriend's hand, interlacing their fingers. "Come on." She hurried down the stairs, pulling the Ariella with her.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they found two young men standing by the front door. One crossed his arms and eyed the two girls hotly with his piercing blue eyes; he wore a pair of jeans, a black shirt underneath a green jacket, and black and white sneakers. His black hair was styled in a medium-length crew cut. The other young man just stood there with his hand behind his back, looking from both the girls and the man next to him periodically with his brown eyes. He had pale skin, wore a pair of fitting black pants, a black long sleeve shirt with a red vertical stripe on the left side and a red line surrounding the cuffs. On his feet was a pair of polished black boots. His uniform brown hair was styled in a bowl cut, with the bangs extending past his hair line.

"Took you long enough," grumbled the one with black hair. "I swear, one of these days I'll just leave without telling you!"

Rachel raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Aw, come on, Rob, we all know you'd never do that."

"It would be highly irresponsible of you to leave teammates behind, Robin." the other young man remarked. "Given you role as team leader."

Robin glared at his friend. "I thought you were on my side, Jonah?" he pouted.

Jonah shrugged. "It was not my intention to favor one party over the other. I was merely stating the facts."

Robin rolled his eyes as he turned back to his cousin, the latter giving him a sweet smile. He sighed as his posture loosened up. "Oh who am I kidding?" he realized with a smile. "I can't stay mad at you."

Rachel flung her arms around her cousin. "But seriously though." Robin added in a serious tone as he slid back the left sleeve on his jacket, revealing a small gauntlet-like device on his wrist. He clicked tapped the screen, and a holographic projection of a digital clock appeared. "We _really _need to go!"

Rachel and Jonah nodded, while Ariella eyed the device curiously. "Y'know you don't have to be so flashy when it comes to telling time, right?"

Robin chuckled as he looked at her. "_This_ is more than for telling time. It's an all-purpose device that allows me to do almost _anything_. And it's has been crucial to the success of some of our past missions. The specs on it are actually really interesting! See-"

"_Ahm…_" Jonah coughed, stopping Robin from continuing his spiel. "I believe we must be on our way."

"Yeah, exactly!" Rachel firmly pushed her cousin out the door. "We can go over how awesome you inventions are later. Now let's go!"

Once out of the house. Rachel felt her hair flow along with the gentle breeze. She looked up into the bright blue sky, filled with dazzling white clouds, and…floating islands with some as big as a continent. Tiny dots of hover-cars could be seen every direction every now and then.

"Traffic seems light this morning." Ariella deduced.

Rachel beamed at her. "Yeah, it is." She turned to her cousin. "That means we could leave later from now on, right?"

Robin smirked. "Not gonna happen, Cuz. Now change." As he finished, a bright green ring appeared around him. It split into two and traveled up and down his body, when they vanished; he wore a black cargo pants with small padding on his knees, and the bottoms were tucked into his white sneakers. He wore a dark green short sleeved jacket over a white compression shirt, elbow pads, black gloves, and his wrist gauntlet was now clearly visible. His hair was now snow white, and his eyes a light green.

Rachel nodded as she changed into her own ghost form. Then the four of them walked to the edge of their floating island.

Robin eyed the other Halfa intently. "The usual?"

Rachel smirked. "You're on…" the two Halfas turned to their companions. Jonah remained impassive while Ariella smirked slightly as she shook her head. Then she raised her arm to the sky.

"Ready?" Rachel and Robin knelt down into the starting position.

"Set?" The two lifted their lower bodies, steadying their breathing for the next word.

"GO!" Ariella waved her arm downwards.

Dust blew into the air as the two cousins blurred off the edge of the cliff. Ariella and Jonah could see two white streaks moving rapidly through the air. The two companions exchanges looks with each other, and then floated after the Robertsons.

* * *

**Fortress of Solitude**

Superman slowly shook off the effects of the Black Mercy; his eyes found Batman as he tried to pull the plant off of Beacon's body. Then the memory came back to him: Mongul! This was all his doing! He'd done this to him! He'd made him see the end of his world, the end of his family! He heard the sound of fists against flesh, and a woman cry out in pain; that meant Mongul was fighting… Diana! Ignoring Batman, he flew off, intent to make Mongul pay for what he's done.

…

Wonder Woman was lying on the ground, her body nearly broken by the vicious beating she received from Mongul. She blurred in and out of consciousness as the alien from War World picked up a two-pronged spear, and prepared to plunge it through her heart.

Mongul's sadistic smile was in full force; he prepared to impale the Amazon with his weapon, when a noise made him pause. He widened his eyes just in time as Superman collided with him, barreling through room after room of the Fortress. The two eventually landed in Superman's makeshift "zoo", a place he kept the he'd once rescued from an alien collector.

In a fit of pure rage, Superman threw punch after punch, not caring how much damage was done to his Fortress. "Do you have any idea what you did to me?"

Mongul had to endure Superman's savage beating for another minute before he recovered enough to kick the Man of Steel backwards. Though the beating was painful, Mogul maintained his cruel grin. "I fashioned a prison that you couldn't without sacrificing your heart's desire." He cracked the stiff tendons in his neck. "It must have been like tearing off your own arm."

He reached out and grabbed Superman's head, and then punched him across the room.

* * *

Wonder Woman slowly crawled back to the room where she had last seen Batman and Beacon. Every fiber of her being ached and every tiny movement was excruciating. She knew that she was in no shape to continue fighting, so the best thing she could do was stay away from the battle. After a few minutes, she made it back. However, the scene before the Amazon was enough to distract her from her pain.

She saw Beacon standing still, staring blankly into something far away as Batman strained to pull the Black Mercy off of her chest.

"Rachel, no…"

Batman heard her and turned around; shock registered on his face when he took in her beaten state. "Are you alright?" he asked as he helped her up.

"I'll live," Wonder Woman answered weakly, "what happened to Rachel?"

"She pulled the plant off, but it latched onto her."

"_Hera_." The Amazon gasped.

Batman just stared at her. "We'll either need Superman to pull it off, or else Rachel has to somehow snap of it herself."

"Well, Superman's busy with Mongul; we're stuck with the latter." She looked at the Halfa. "Can you get me to her?"

Batman nodded, and steadied her as she limped over to Beacon.

Looking directly into her eyes, Wonder Woman spoke in a quiet tone. "Rachel, I don't know if you can hear me, but wherever you are, whatever you're seeing, _it isn't real_. Come back to us, Rachel; come back to us, please."

* * *

**Elsewhere**

As Rachel walked, she frowned and rubbed her head.

"Rach, are you feeling alright?" asked Ariella, concerned etched in her voice.

Rachel shook her head to clear it, and then smiled at the other girl. "Yeah, I'm fine," she assured, "just felt a little strange for a second, that's all."

Ariella reached down and gave Rachel's hand a gentle squeeze. The Halfa looked longingly at her girlfriend and returned the gesture. The four companions walked through the forest until they reached the clearing. They were standing on the edge of a cliff. About a hundred yards beneath them was a large warehouse.

"Okay," Rachel turned to Robin, "What have we got?"

The male Halfa took out a pair of binoculars, and studied the warehouse. "Hmm, yep, no doubt about it, it's the _Guys in White_."

"There are appears to be several flaws in their defensive formation surrounding the building." Jonah added as he looked through his own binoculars. "It is possible that they are actually _inviting_ a raid on their compound."

"What could they be up to?" questioned Ariella. "Manufacturing weapons, holding captured ghosts to sell as slaves or experiments."

Jonah put his binoculars away, and looked at her. "Whatever the reason may be, until we know more, they are both equal possibilities."

The two girls nodded. Rachel turned to her cousin.

"What kind of equipment are we dealing with?"

"Hmm," Robin narrowed his eyes. "Anti-ghost rifles mostly, but we need to be careful just in case there's more."

Rachel and Jonah nodded.

"So what's your call, Rob?" Rachel asked.

Robin put his binoculars away and held out his gauntlet. As the group huddled in a circle, the male Halfa took a knee and tapped the screen; a holographic grid appeared, showing a replica of the warehouse. "Okay, three of us will take a corner," as he said it, three dots appeared on three corners of the map. "And create a distraction to scatter them, and hopefully it will draw out whoever's inside the warehouse too." He looked at his cousin. "While _we _are busy with those guys, you deal with the inside; free any hostages, find any evidence of the things that Ari mentioned, and take care of anyone that chose to stay behind."

Rachel bent over slightly, taking in the details of the building. "Got it." she nodded.

"Shall we discuss an alternative strategy in case our first plan fails?" Jonah asked as Robin deactivated his gauntlet and stood back up.

"If anything goes wrong and you have an idea, just call it out." Robin looked at the others. "That goes for _all _of us."

They all nodded in understanding. Ariella raised an eyebrow at Jonah. "Always have to play the devil's advocate, don't you?"

Jonah moved his head slightly. "It is only logical to convey multiple options."

"Great, now we've established that." Rachel floated into the air. "Let's go finish this and go get some Ice Cream!"

Robin smiled at his cousin's excitement, and then looked at the other two. "Ready?"

Jonah pulled a white cloth out of his pocket, and wrapped it around his forehead. Then pulled a small object out a compartment in his belt and clicked it. The object folded until it became a long-handled hammer, with the head the size of a smaller-than-average watermelon.

"Indeed." He said as he rested his weapon on his shoulder.

Ariella's hands were encased in two black circles of energy as she said. "Ready."

Robin turned back and glared at the warehouse. Then taking breath, he made the call.

"Alright, let's GO!"

* * *

The plan had gone without a hitch. Just as suspected, the agents of the GIW were drawn to three corners of the compound, and in no time at all; they were easily beaten. Rachel was able to find evidence of illegal weapons, and the captured ghosts, and worse she'd actually found human men, women, and children.

_What did they hope to accomplish?_

After freeing the hostages, Rachel went back to the entrance of the warehouse to meet up with her friends. Ariella pulled Rachel into a firm embrace when they met up.

"I'm fine, Ari." The Halfa replied. "You didn't need to worry."

In answer, Ariella brought her lips to Rachel's. For a moment, all that existed were these two. Then the sound of fingers snapping broke them apart. The two girls turned to see Robin standing there glaring at them. While Jonah just stood upright with his hands behind his back, looking impassive as ever.

"Now that I have you two lovebirds' attention," Robin said coolly, "I've call HQ and they'll be here soon to handle the evidence and hostages."

"Oh, right." Rachel replied, smiling blankly. "After that, let's go and get…"

_Rachel_

"Huh?" Rachel jerked her head up, and then she looked around the place. A voice had called out to her, but she saw nothing. However, even though she didn't recognize it, it somehow seemed familiar.

"Rach, what's the matter?" Robin eyed his cousin with concern.

Rachel placed a hand on her head, and shook it slightly. "It-it's nothing," she replied, "I thought I just heard…"

_Rachel!_

Rachel gasped and stumbled as she heard the voice again. It was the voice of a woman; she sounded scared, desperate even. Who did it belong to? Why was it so familiar? She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to figure everything out.

"Rachel? Are you alright?" asked Ariella. "Talk to us."

"_C-can't _you guys hear that?" Rachel demanded.

The other three exchanged looks with one another.

"There is nothing _to_ hear." Jonah answered bluntly.

"Yeah," Robin chimed in, "I think we should head back and get you some med-"

Before the male Halfa could finish, the warehouse began to shake. Cracks grew along the floor and walls, windows began to shatter, and pieces of the ceiling began to rain down upon them. Then the ground beneath their feet spilt open, and they fell.

_Wait, _Rachel thought, _we're falling? How? _A moment later they landed back on the ground. Except the texture was different, it was a lot softer than before.

"Intriguing," Jonah began as he got up, "This appears to be…"

"Grass," Ariella finished as she felt the material.

"Precisely."

"B-But how is that possible? How to did we fall underground, and land on grass?"

"I think the better question is," Robin tapped his chin. "How did we _fall_? I mean we can all fly! Unless the Guys in White had some kind of tech that jammed our powers."

"Even if they did," said Ariella. "My powers are magic-based, they couldn't jam _that_!"

"It is rather mysterious." Jonah commented.

"Hmm," Robin hummed, tapping him chin. "What do you think about all this Rach?"

"…"

"Rachel?"

The other Halfa didn't respond as she laid there on her hands and knees. Directly underneath her was a puddle of water, with her reflection staring back at her. She didn't know why she was staring into her reflection; everything on her face seemed right expect… expect, for the thin vertical line running down her left eye. She absentmindedly traced it with her fingers.

_Rachel! Come back to us! Please! Come back!_

There's that voice again. She'd definitely heard the voice before. The voice belonged to a friend, it belonged to… _Diana!_

Rachel gasped at her memories burst, like water from a dam, throughout her mind. She wasn't really _here! _She wasn't even in her own universe. She was in a new earth. She was a member of the Justice League.

She then remembered arriving in the Fortress of Solitude; she remembered fighting Mongul, and helping to take the Black Mercy off of Superman. The plant unattached itself and latched onto her… She was living in a fantasy; none of this was real! Which meant all of her loved ones; Robin, Jonah, and Ariella… were all dead.

* * *

**Fortress of Solitude**

"Rachel!" pleaded Diana. "Snap out of it! It's not real!"

Batman looked into the Halfa's eyes when he saw them dilate.

"It's working!" declared the Dark Knight. "She's fighting it!"

Upon hearing this, Diana pulled out all the stops. "Yes, that's it Rachel!" She cried. "You're almost there! Fight it!"

Rachel squeezed her eyes shut and clamped her head between her hands. Tortured grunts escaped her throat.

* * *

**Unknown field**

…_Fight it!_

"AH!" Rachel grunted in pain as her head threatened to split open.

"Rachel?!"

Her three loved ones rushed to her side. Ariella grabbed her shoulders, trying to steady the Halfa. "Rachel, what's wrong?"

Rachel opened her eyes and stared into some unknown direction. "None of this is real…" she breathed.

"What are you talking about?" asked her cousin.

"There was the _fire_." An image of a burning building flashed in Rachel's eyes.

"The puddles…" An image of green liquid flashed.

"And…and…"

Rachel began to hyperventilate, and she clutched her head as it threatened to burst again.

* * *

**Fortress of Solitude**

"Rachel?" asked Diana.

The Halfa didn't respond; she just stumbled and held her head, twisting this way and that. She was still in obvious pain.

What happened next stunned Bruce and Diana, a light blue glow was beginning to envelop Rachel's figure, becoming more intense by the second.

"What's this?" questioned Diana.

* * *

**Rachel's mind**

"Rachel," Ariella gasped as she steadied the Halfa, "You're scaring us!"

She just stared at them as the tears flowed from her eyes. _"You-You 're all dead!"_

"WHAT?" Robin, Jonah, and Ariella shouted in unison as Rachel hugs her arms and sobbed.

"Rachel," Ariella whispered. "We're fine, we-"she was silenced when the Halfa kissed her, and then collapsed into her arms.

"Just hold me, all of you." She begged. "_Please_."

She said no more, but continued to sob in Ariella's arms. After a moment that seemed like an eternity, the Halfa felt her cousin and friend join the embrace.

The three companions were silent as they held the distressed girl in between them. Then everything began to shake again. Rachel knew she didn't have long.

"I-I love you all." she choked, "_Always._"

A red glow filled the surrounding area. Then everything exploded.

* * *

**Fortress of Solitude**

"Bruce! What's happening?" Wonder Woman demanded.

The glow emitting from Rachel was so intense they had to put their hands up to shield their eyes. The Halfa's breathing was becoming sharp and more unsteady.

"I-I have no-"the Dark Knight stopped mid-sentence when he saw Rachel shuttered violently, and then she jerked her head upwards, spreading her clinched fists, and screamed. It was a horrible and wretched scream, full of despair and agony. The glow became blinding as a shockwave rushed out of the Halfa, causing the two Leaguers to skid back a few yards.

Afterwards, the screaming stopped, and the glowed vanished. Rachel's vision blurred back into focus as she felt something detach from her chest, looking down; she saw the Black Mercy on the ground, twitching slightly. The Halfa locked eyes with Batman and Wonder Woman, both of whom stared back at her in complete shock. Rachel hugged her arms, and turned back into her human form. Then she collapsed to the ground on her knees, tears streaming down her eyes as she wept.

Wonder Woman looked at Batman, who looked back at her before shaking his head. Diana limped over to Rachel, knelt down, and embraced her. Rachel continued to sob as Diana gently rubbed her back.

"There, there," she whispered in a calming voice, "it's okay, Rachel, it's okay…"

Batman could only guess what Rachel had experienced: The Black Mercy must have shown her with her loved ones again, and she had believed that it was real with every fiber with every fiber of her being, only to realize that everything was a fantasy… a fake. As for the explosion of energy, Batman deduced that it was her subconscious fighting the effects of the plant, and for a moment she lost control of her powers. He looked over when he something twitch out of the corner of his eye; the Black Mercy had survived and was probably looking for a new host to feed off of.

The Detective knew just who to give it to.

Mongul threw Superman into the wall, as the yellow alien stalked towards his enemy, he snarled.

"You should've stayed in whatever happy fantasy the Black Mercy granted you."

With a growl, Mongul charged at the Man of Steel, a several punches, and a vicious knee to Superman's abdomen. Then he clamped his fists together, and slammed them down on Superman's head. The force was so powerful, it scattered the floor; sending both aliens falling down into a lower level that housed the giant statues of Jor and Lara-El.

* * *

Among the dust and debris, Superman got to his feet first, his face twisted with rage.

"_HAPPY?!_" He roared as his fist sent Mogul flying into the base of one statue. Before Mongul could recover, Superman blurred in front of him and pummel his face; he'd lost his home twice now, and he had been there to _witness _it the second time.

"Do you know what I've lost?!" He demanded between strikes. "What I've-"He stopped as he looked upwards. He stared at the stone faces of his mother and father. His face relaxed as he remembered what his parents wanted to him to do: they wanted him to be a hero, not a raging brute.

Mongul took this opportunity and grabbed Superman's head, and then drove his knee into the Kryptonian's chest. With the wretched grunt, Superman fell over unconscious.

"You know for a moment there," Mongul told him, "I almost believed that you were gonna kill me." Superman groaned as he brought his head up. Mongul was there in front of him, holding a giant boulder above his head. "How stupid of you to hesitate like that, not a mistake I'll make, I assure you." Superman struggled to get back to his feet, but his chest was in so much pain, that he couldn't focus. Mongul held the boulder even higher, ready to bring it down of the Man of Steel.

"Happy Birthday, Last Son of Krypton," said Mongul, "I give you oblivion."

"Not today!"

The two aliens look up to see Batman swing the Black Mercy right at Mongul, the alien could only widen his eyes before it hit him.

"You can have your _gift _back…" the Dark Knight growled in his signature tone.

* * *

Superman and Batman stared at the motionless form of Mongul. The alien was lying on the ground, the Black Mercy wrapped tightly around his chest. There was an evil grin etched on his face.

"What do you think he's seeing?" asked Superman.

"Whatever it is," replied Batman with narrowed eyes, "it's too good for him." Then he turned to Superman. "Come on, we need to check on Diana and Rachel."

Superman raised his eyebrows at his friend. "What happened to Rach?"

"When she pulled the plant off of you, it latched onto her by mistake." Batman glared at Mongul again. "Whatever fantasy she was in, whatever it put her though… it devastated her…"

Superman nodded in understanding. The two Leaguers walked back up one level to find Rachel had stopped crying, but her eyes had become glassy and distant. She was still in Wonder Woman's embrace as the Amazon whispered soothing words to her. Diana was in obvious pain, but she was willing to put that aside to comfort the Halfa. Rachel's eyes drooped as her breathing steadied, and then she fell into slumber.

"We should get her home." Superman suggested softly.

Superman scooped Rachel up, and set her down gently in the invisible plane, while Batman helped Wonder Woman limp inside.

As the plane took off out of the water and back into the clouds, Wonder Woman contacted the Watchtower.

"J'onn? Can you patch me through to Kara? It's… urgent."

* * *

**Kent Farm, Smallville**

Kara sat on the front steps of the Kent house. She had been thinking the conversation she had with Barbra all those months ago. Her best friend had assured that there was nothing to worry about, but she still felt unsure of herself.

"Kara?" someone called behind her. The Kryptonian turned and saw Martha Kent standing behind her. "You okay?"

Kara blinked for a second, and then smiled at her adoptive mother. "Yeah, I'm doing great."

Martha raised an eyebrow as her lips formed a line. "_Kara_, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

Kara's face fell. Then she sighed as turned to face the front. "Yeah, I know."

Martha chuckled slightly as she sat on the steps next to her adopted daughter. "So, what's bothering you?"

Kara looked at down at her hands. "Has your heart ever told you one thing, but you brain is telling you something different?"

Martha chuckled slightly. "More times than I can count," she assured, "now what's the matter?"

Kara bit her lower lip. "I-I think I like someone, but it's not exactly…normal." As she said this, red was creeping up on her cheeks.

"Oh, Sweetie," Martha sighed. "Love is love; that's all that matters."

Kara bit her lower lip. "Okay… but I just don't know how to say it."

Martha put a hand on her shoulder. "Trying saying what's in your heart, and you'll do just fine, okay?"

They sat there in silence for a moment, and then Kara's communicator beeped in her ear. "Supergirl here, go ahead." She said as she pressed a finger into the communicator.

"Kara…"

"Diana? What's up?"

"It's Rachel," Kara felt a little confused to hear the Amazon's tired voice. "She needs your help."

"What's the matter?" she asked, her concern rising. "Did something happen?"

"I'll explain later," replied Wonder Woman, "Can you come to Rachel's house."

"I'm on my way." Kara said firmly. She lowered her hand as she looked at Martha. "I gotta go! Anyway, thanks." She gave Martha a warm embrace. Then she soared into the sky, heading for Florida.

"Good Luck!" Martha called out.

* * *

**Miami**

When Supergirl reached the front door to Rachel's house, she knocked on the front door. When Diana answered it, the Kryptonian was surprised to see the Amazon with bandages over her arms and head, and she suspected that her civilian clothes hid even more injuries.

"What happened?" demanded Kara anxiously as Diana gestured for her to come inside.

Diana sighed. "As you know; today is your cousin's birthday. So Rachel came with Batman and I to celebrate with him, but when we got there; Mongul was waiting for us."

Kara gasped as her hands jumped to her mouth. She knew about the warlord; she'd been studying the old case files with Rachel.

"Did he hurt her? Where is he now? I swear if he-"she said the last part through gritted teeth.

"Kara, slow down." Diana interrupted. The Amazon was caught slightly off-guard by Kara's reaction. Granted, she too had been upset after seeing what the Black Mercy had done to Rachel. She was certain anyone in the League would have been. Kara however, seemed a little… _infuriated _by the news. After the Girl of Steel took a calming breath, Diana continued.

"Rachel is alright, at least, she is physically."

"What do you mean by 'physically'?" Kara's anger had receded somewhat, and now just seemed worried.

Diana frowned. "Mongul had attached a plant to Clark; it made him live his heart's greatest desire. When Rachel pulled it off, it did the same thing to her. Except, she was able to snap out of it herself, but… she didn't come out unscathed."

"W-what happened to her?"

"Well," the Amazon sighed, "you should go see for yourself." Diana gestured towards the stairs.

"Thanks, Diana." Kara hurried upstairs.

* * *

Diana limped over to living room and sat on the sofa. The fight had only ended several hours ago, and even with her accelerated healing factor, her body still ached all over. She'd wished Batman would've stayed behind as well, but to be honest, the Dark Knight isn't exactly the comforting type. At the moment, only the founding members of the Justice League and Kara knew about what happened, and for Rachel's sake, they intended to keep it that way.

Kara easily found Rachel's room; there was only one door that was left ajar. She pushed the door to find the Halfa sitting on her bed, hugging her knees close to her chest. Her skin was chalk-white, and her glassy eyes stared unseeingly into the blankets in front of her. Rachel didn't even acknowledge Kara in any way as she came.

"Rach?" asked Kara, but all she got for an answer was silence. Taking a breath, Kara walked over and sat on the bed, directly in front of the Halfa's field of vision.

"Rach…" she repeated as she gently squeezed the Halfa's hand. That got Rachel to look at her, but Rachel still didn't seem to _see _her. There was something in her eyes; Kara thought about it and remembered where she'd seen that look in Rachel's eyes before. It was that night at the Kent Farm where they first met; when the Halfa had spoken about her family's death. Rachel must've lived through it again.

"Rachel, look, I don't know you went through over there; but I want you to know that I'm here for you if you need me."

Rachel just stared at her for a moment. For a split second, Kara thought that she was going to break down again, just like she did the first night at the Kent farm. The tears, however, never came. Instead, Rachel simply uncoiled her body, and wrapped her arms around her firmly. Kara felt her cheeks grow warm in the embrace, but after a second of hesitation, she returned the hug.

"Thank you." Rachel breathed in Kara's ear.

* * *

For the next couple of days, both Diana and Kara stayed at Rachel's home. Other members of the League had come by to visit, but Diana and Kara hardly left the house at all. During to the first few days, Rachel just sat on her bed, still as a statue, and just as silent. Kara was worried that the Black Mercy had permanently affected the Halfa's mental well-being. Whenever she would try and talk to her, Rachel would say no more than a few words, and with each passing day, Kara grew more and more anxious. Until on the fourth day, Diana and Kara were surprised to hear music coming from upstairs. As they listened more intently, they realized that the tunes belonged to a piano. Kara exchanged looks with Diana, and then pair of them walked upstairs to investigate.

As the two heroes walked down the hallway, the tune became enchanting, and more mesmerizing. Kara pushed the door open and saw Rachel sitting in front of a polished grand piano. Her eyes were closed as she gently pressed her fingers down on the keyboard. Kara just stared as Rachel swayed this way and that, and occasionally leaned into the instrument. It was as if the Halfa's mind and spirit were intertwined by the piano's steady rhythms.

Rachel finished the piece with a last soft, lingering note. After the note was silenced, she opened her eyes, and stared at the black and white keys in front her, then the sound of clapping made Rachel turn her head. When she did, Rachel saw Diana and Kara standing in the door way, beaming at her as they applauded.

Grinning, Rachel stood up, swept her leg back, and gave a curtsey bow.

"That was beautiful." commented Kara.

"It was indeed." Diana agreed.

Rachel grinned admiringly at both of them. "Thank you."

* * *

As they walked downstairs, Diana wanted to know what had brought Rachel's sudden change in behavior. She was glad to see that the Halfa was feeling better, but curiosity was getting the better of her.

When they took a seat of the sofa, the Amazon asked her question. "Rachel," she began, the girl looked at her. "I am curious: what brought about the change?"

Rachel paused for a moment, and then smiled. "I guess just knowing that I have people who are there for me when I need them," she turned to Kara, "just made me feel a lot better."

Kara returned Rachel's grin.

* * *

The next day, both Diana and Kara felt that Rachel had recovered enough to not need people watching over her shoulder. They packed their belongings and got ready to leave.

Diana had prepared to contact the Watchtower to be teleported when Rachel wrapped her arms around her.

"Thank you, Diana." She said. "For being there after I got that plant off of me."

Diana smiled as she returned the gesture. "Of course, Rachel." They broke apart and she put a hand on the Halfa's shoulder. "I know that you'd do the same for me."

Rachel smiled back. "I also wanted to thank you for saving me."

"How do you mean?"

Rachel frown slightly as her eyes fell. "If you hadn't called out to me, I don't know if I'd been able to break free. I still don't even know if I _wanted _to break free."

Diana understood what she meant; during her stay at her home, Rachel had told both and Kara about the fantasy that the Black Mercy had put her in. For her to see the people she love most, and then realize that it was all a lie… Diana couldn't even imagine how devastating it would be.

"But who knows," Rachel resumed. "The fact I was able to let go could be a sign, that… that I'm starting to move on; Maybe it's a sign that I can live without them… or at the very least," The Halfa paused, "that I can live without seeing them again."

Diana pulled him into another hug, which she returned. "I'm glad to hear that, Rachel." She let go and took a step back. Then she put a hand to the communicator in her ear. "Ready, J'onn."

* * *

Rachel closed her eyes as a flash of light appeared. When she reopened them, Diana was gone. She then noticed someone walking behind her; she turned around and saw Kara standing at the top of her stairs, dressed in her Supergirl costume.

"I am guessing you heard all that?"

Kara smiled shyly. "A curse of super hearing." She floated down the stairs. "Still, I'm happy that you're starting to move on."

"I want to thank you too," Rachel told the Kryptonian, "for coming all this way, just for me."

"Oh, it's nothing. Distance doesn't really matter when you can fly." She avoided looking into Rachel in the eye; glancing down, then up. Simple eye contact seemed to be difficult for her.

"Are you okay, Kara?"

At the words, Kara's cheeks flushed pink. Rachel raised an eyebrow, _was it something I said? _She thought.

"Are… are you sure that you're gonna be fine here all by yourself? I… I mean don't mind staying longer if you need me to."

Rachel blinked in confusion. Why was she so nervous about asking her to stay here longer? What was she afraid of? "Kara," she began with a smile. "You're welcome to stay here anytime you want, but you don't have to stay here just to keep an eye on me; I'll be fine." Somehow, Kara seemed a little upset by this. "But, if any problem comes up, no matter what it is, you'll be the first one I tell, okay?"

Kara brightened up at that. "You better, or _else_."

Rachel gasped slowly as she put a hand over her heart. "You don't think I _would? _I 'm offended, Kara." She said, exasperated.

Kara giggled pleasantly. "Sorry." Then she pulled Rachel into one of her bone crushing hugs.

"Ow!" Rachel gasped. "Kara!"

"Sorry!"

As Rachel wheezed air back into her lungs, she stared at Kara. The Halfa noticed her cheeks were still pink, as a matter of fact; they were a tinge darker than before. Is there something wrong?

"Kara, what's up? Do you have something you want to tell me?"

Kara widened her eyes. "Um, uh, uh." She stuttered as she turn beet red and her eyes fell to the floor. Rachel wanted to say something, but she decided to be patient, allowing Kara to gather her thoughts. After another minute, Kara regained her composure, and looked right into the Halfa's eyes. "I'm just glad you're feeling better, Rach. "Then she leaned and planted her lips on Rachel's cheek. "Watchtower, I'm ready to go." As she disappeared, Kara saw Rachel standing rooted to the spot, looking absolutely stunned.

Rachel stood there, eyes as big as pool balls, face flushed bright red, and her heart pounded in her chest. Kara had placed her kiss inches from her own lips. Did this mean that she…? Rachel realized that her liking girls was common knowledge among those that are close to her, but in all their time together, it never occurred to her that Kara felt that way about her. She slowly raised her hand to feel the spot where Kara had put her lips, it was still warm. The Halfa felt the corners of her mouth arched upwards.

"_Huh._"

* * *

**So Kara finally worked up the courage to admit her feelings. Awe! That's so sweet! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and are enjoying this story overall.**

**Now, you guys might be wondering why I used the **_**Guys in White **_**in Rachel's fantasy. First off, in the show: they are a pro-human group that wants to rid the world of all ghosts. They even went as far as planning to nuke the Ghost Zone! With that said, it made sense for me to use them as bad guys. Secondly, I realized that I haven't really used a lot from the Danny Phantom universe, and I found this as an opportunity to use something that you guys would be familiar with instead of coming up with something that none of you recognize.**

**As for Rachel's family and old girlfriend, I know I've dropped their names several times in previous chapters. Now I've introduced them to give you all at least an idea of who they were.**

**Thank you reading and I will see you all later. **

**Stay frosty out there!**


	8. Chapter 7

**BESIDES MY OWN ORIGINAL CHARACTERS, I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING FROM THE ELEMENTS FOR WHICH I AM USING IN THE THIS STORY.**

**I'd thank you all once again for all the favorites and follows. Since this is my first time writing FanFics; any number of FAVs and Follows is better than a whooping NOTHING! THANK YOU ALL!**

**NOW IT'S TIME TO MAKE LIKE TEAM ROCKET AND BLAST OFF AGAIN! HA! ****Ha... ****ha****... ****YEAH I'M SORRY, THAT WAS BAD…**

Beacon of Justice

Chapter 7

**Remote Mountain Range**

Two figures, a boy and a woman, floated through the ruins of a society that has been long gone. Neither of them paid any attention to the crumbling stone pillars that leaned every which way. They, but mostly one of them, were focused on the stone temple directly in front of them.

A bright yellow light glowed in a circle across the wall of the temple. When it disappeared, the light had bored a hole into the stone, allowing the two figures to float into the temple.

"This better be worth it, Mother." The boy said hostilely, not looking up from his handheld video game. He wore a purple tunic with gold stripes, cap, and cape. He had blond hair that ended at his chin, and bright blue eyes. "I mean it."

"If the legends are true, it will be." His mother replied. She wore a fuchsia-colored dress with gold trimmings, and a gold and black chest piece. Her face however, was covered by a golden mask with black eye and mouth slots.

They continued to float along the temple as the boy looked up. "You've been saying stuff like that for, like, centuries." He turned back to his game. "Nothing ever changes."

"Everything's changed…" the woman said impassively. "Except you, Mordred, and that's because I want you to still be young when I gave you your kingdom."

"I want to be king _now!_" the boy raised his voice at the last word. The two stopped when they were directly in front of a sitting statue of a six-armed creature. In the left hand of its two lowest arms, something glowed in a bright pinkish hue. "What's this thing? Another stupid charm?" The thing inside the statue's hand glowed brighter as if it heard the boy's snobby comment.

"It's the Amulet of First Magic," His mother answered, shielding the boy behind her, "The source of all earthly sorcery. "

"Hmm, shiny," He remarked as he climbed the statue, stopping right next to the hand that held the glowing object.

"Be ready, Mordred." The woman's eyes glowed in a mixture of gold and purple as she raised her arms. Then yellow-green energy glowed around her hands, and shot out towards the statue. The pair of energy beam made contact with its hand, and slowly, the hand began to uncoil. Mordred saw the shiny, purple amulet right the middle of the statue's palm. After a second's hesitation, he snatched it from the statue, and eyed the amulet in awe.

After his mother had cut off the flow of energy, the statue's hand once again curled up into a fist.

"At last," she bellowed as she held out her hand expectantly, "Mordred, give that to me."

Her son's face became smug as he turned to her. "Why should I?"

"Silly child," the woman replied. "You're not…"

Mordred ignored his mother and placed the amulet around his neck. "Not what? Ready?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Not big enough or old enough? None of that matters Mother," a smirk began to form on his face, "because, now I'm strong enough." His eyes lit up in the same color as his mother's, but unlike her, sparks of electricity coursed out of his eyes.

"Mordred!" his mother barked as she raised her arm and shot an energy beam in an attempt to subdue her son. However, the boy merely swatted the beam aside as if it was nothing. The woman gasped as her son gave her another smirk.

Bright purple energy surrounded Mordred as his clothes began to change. Gone were his cap and tunic. Now he wore a suit of gold and black armor, a red cape, and three pointed crown.

"I'll have my kingdom," The boy declared, "and without anyone telling me what to do." He then pointed a finger at his mother. "I never want to see you, or anyone older than me ever again." He then raised his palm up in the air, and then a wave of purple and gold energy erupted from his hand.

"No!" the woman shouted as the wave of energy hit her. A second later, she vanished from sight.

* * *

**Elsewhere; Federal gold reserve**

"Pound their heads!" yelled Blockbuster, a large man with bulging muscles as he charged. The villain threw his fist, only to have it stopped by Superman's hand.

"Pound your own," Superman retorted. He drove Blockbuster's fist back, hitting his jaw with his own hand. He followed with a punch to the villain's gut, and then finished with an uppercut that sent him crashing into a shelf of gold bricks.

At the same time, Wonder Woman was fighting Cheetah, the genetically-modified woman hybrid. Cheetah swung her leg at the Amazon, but with no effort, Wonder Woman caught her ankle, and then threw the hybrid across the room, slamming her into a pillar.

Meanwhile on the other side of the room, Batman was going toe to toe with KGBeast, a masked muscular man with a gun where his left hand should be. After dodging several of the masked man's bullets, the Dark Knight threw a batarang at him, but KGBeast was able to lean out of the projectile's way. The batarang did momentarily cause him to turn away from his opponent, and he turned back to just in time before Batman's fist connected with his face.

The attack didn't seem to faze the gunman much, because he blocked Batman's next punch and grabbed him by the base of his collar. The Detective noticed his vision began to blur when he heard the sound of a gun's hammer being primed. A split second before KGBeast could fire his weapon, a black boot landed across the side of his face. With a loud grunt, the gunman dropped Batman, fell over, and skidded unconscious several yards away. Beacon glared at the motionless villain, while Batman tried to get oxygen back into his lungs. Beacon heard a sound behind her, and without looking, she snatched the batarang out of the air. The Halfa then walked over to the Dark Knight, and held the projectile out to him.

"You're welcome." Beacon informed.

Batman just stared at the girl coolly as he took the batarang back, and stowed it in his utility belt. "I had that." He countered. Then without another glance at the ghost-girl, he stalked past her. Beacon watched him go while she smirked and rolled her eyes.

At the moment the only villain left standing was Copperhead, a man who wore a snake outfit, in addition to his venomous fangs. He was currently jumping from pillar to pillar trying to avoid Green Lantern's energy blasts.

"I won't go down so easily!" he hissed as leaped towards the Lantern. The latter merely maintained his calm expression and constructed a brick wall with his ring. Copperhead didn't even try to avoid it as he slammed face first into it, promptly knocking himself out.

"Sure you will." Green Lantern said with a grin. As the Leaguers rounded up the fallen villains, Wonder Woman bound them together with her lasso. "Guess that's a wrap."

The other four heroes gave him a quizzical look.

"Sorry; been hanging out with Flash too much."

Beacon turned her head when she noticed three security guards approach them. They were followed almost immediately by a wave of purple and yellow energy.

"Look out!" the Halfa shouted. The three guards turned to around, and only had time to look in fear as they disappeared into thin air.

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern all looked shocked as the wave of energy rapidly approached them. Thinking instinctively, Beacon rushed forward, and created a shield with her own energy. However, the wave just passed through the shield as if it wasn't even there. It covered the five heroes, and then they too disappeared.

* * *

**Another Dimension**

The five Leaguers opened their eyes and surveyed the scene around them with complete confusion. They were no longer in that gold vault. Instead, they were standing on a chunk of floating rock; above them was a white sky, crisscrossed by jagged red and black lines. Beacon could see more floating rocks out in the distance, each one with people on them.

"It was Judgment day!" Copperhead ranted. "And we got sent to the bad place! The bad place!" He grunted when Cheetah slapped him in the face.

"Snap out of it, Copper!"

"Calm down!"

The villains turned to see the five Leaguers standing a few feet from them. "We're probably in another dimension." Green Lantern hypothesized.

"Have any of you noticed something odd about all this?" asked Batman.

"You mean besides _everything?!_" Copperhead blurted out, causing Cheetah to smack him in the back of the head.

"There are only adults here." Beacon answered, as if Copperhead hadn't spoken.

Wonder Woman looked around. "She's right; there doesn't seem to be any children here."

"That's because a child is responsible."

The heroes turned to see a woman floating towards them. Beacon narrowed her eyes when she saw the mask that covered her entire face. After noticing the other heroes going into their fighting stances, the Halfa did to same.

"Morgaine Le Fey." Batman growled.

"I mean you no harm." Morgaine stated immediately. "My son Mordred has wrought this treachery; banishing all adults to this shadow realm." She turned away from them, and looked out into the distance. "Even me, his own mother, and after I spent millennia feeding him, bathing him, preparing him to be king. Where did I go wrong?" She lowered her head and clutched it between her hands.

"With all due respect, ma'am," Beacon said with as much tact as she could muster, "We don't have time to go over you parenting skills."

"Yeah," Green Lantern agreed, "we need to figure out how to turn everything back to normal."

"You're a sorceress." Wonder Woman stated to Le Fey. "Can't you just undo his spell?"

Morgaine shook her head and turned back to them. "No, he's got the Amulet of First Magic; he's too powerful." She paused for a moment, and then turned to the heroes. "But if we all work together…"

Beacon realized what she meant, but Batman beat her to the punch. "You want us to defeat your own son?"

Even though her face was hidden, it didn't mask the smugness in Le Fey's voice. "So don't trust me. Let him rule the world and all your children. Here we will stay, _forever_."

"But what can we do?" Wonder Woman asked. "We're stuck here, aren't we?"

"I don't think so." Beacon remarked, "I am pretty sure Morgaine here has a plan."

"Very perceptive, child." Praised Le Fey impassively, and then she addressed all the Leaguers. "Yes, the spell only banishes adults."

Beacon felt chills down her spine while Green Lantern shook his head. "I don't like where this is going."

"It's the only way." The sorceress said firmly. The heroes looked at each other for a moment. Then everyone nodded except Beacon, who was looking at the ground and gnawing her lower lip. She seemed to be conflicted about something.

"Beacon?" Wonder Woman called. The Halfa looked at her teammates.

"We have to do it." Superman stated firmly when he and Beacon locked eyes with each other. The Halfa still looked hesitant, but nodded nevertheless. The five heroes then turned back to Morgaine.

"Excellent." whispered Le Fey, "_Milugu sagaroth, raboth tanaabu, kathuta!_"

With a flash of green light that emitted from the sorceress's hands, the heroes disappeared.

* * *

**Fuseyland Amusement Park **

Mordred floated into the amusement park. After landing on the ground, he expressed a sadistic smile as his eyes glowed purple and yellow. A flash of energy projected out of his body, as it spread, the world's appearance began to change: the trees became leafless, the sky became a dark purple, and the castle of the park took a more sinister, gothic appearance. With but a single glare from the sorcerer, the other children followed Mordred without as much as a backward glance. If they had looked back, they might have seen the shadows behind them; shadows that led to five eight-year-old heroes.

"This better be temporary," said Batman as he looked down at his much younger self.

"You sound weird," noted Superman, "whoa. So do I."

Wonder Woman smiled and put her hands on her hips. "I kind of like this." The young Amazon also noticed that she was a good few inches taller than her teammates.

"Yeah, I'm not so sure," said a voice next to them. The others turned to see the eight-year-old Rachel Robertson, who was still in her ghost-form. She still sounded like her older self, but her pitch was a bit higher. While the other heroes had remained in their costumes, though they were kid-sized ones, Rachel had completely changed. Gone was her usual outfit. Instead, she now wore white boots, a bright blue track suit with a vertical white stripe on the left side and the right side of the jacket, and down the sides of her matching pants. Her hands were left bare, but the piece of cloth was still tied around her left leg. Rachel's hair was now tied into pigtails, held in place by a black hand-tied bow on each side; the color of the bows seemed to perfectly contrast with her snow white hair.

"Wow, Rach," Wonder Woman began as she looked up and down at the Halfa, "You look…cute."

Beacon raised an eyebrow at the Amazon. "Uh, thanks…" Then she tugged at her clothes when the boys looked curiously. "Guardian cadet uniform; standard-issue."

"What happened?" asked Superman, and then he eyed Beacon's face. "Your scar's gone."

Beacon felt around her left eye with her fingers, and sure enough, the line that had been etched on her face had disappeared. "Morgaine's magic must've done more than just de-aged us; it's made us how we were when we were eight years old." Beacon stared at her hands as she opened and closed them, as if she was trying to get blood to flow back into them.

"Rach?" asked Wonder Woman. "Are you okay?"

Beacon looked at her, and smiled. "Yeah, just feeling a little nostalgic, that's all."

As Wonder Woman smiled back and placed a hand on the Halfa shoulder, Batman turned to Green Lantern, who was squinting.

"What's the matter?" asked the Dark Knight.

"I wore glasses as a kid," explain Lantern, "guess I need 'em again." As he spoke, a pair of thick-rimmed glasses appeared in front of his eyes. "Wow! I didn't even try to make these!"

"I hope not," snorted Batman, as Superman tried to refrain from laughing. Even Beacon giggled a little. Green Lantern concentrated until his goofy glasses became a much more stylish mask.

"Cool," complimented Superman.

"Would you stop messing around?" asked Wonder Woman as she slapped the Kryptonian upside the head, "We gotta find Mordred!"

"Bet the little punk's in there," said Batman, pointing to the castle.

"Yeah, I think you're right," agreed Beacon, "he did grow up in medieval times. So it makes sense for him to want to live in a castle." The heroes exchanged looks, and then nodded to each other. "Anyway…" The Halfa grinned as she hovered a few inches off the ground, making the other heroes look at her in confusion. "Race ya!" Without another word, she sped off towards the castle, blowing up dust into the other heroes faces. After waving their hands to clear the dust, the other heroes followed the ghost-girl.

Beacon flew across the drawbridge over the moat; where she landed right in front of the giant entrance to the castle. She turned around to see Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern land behind her, and a couple of seconds later, Batman met up with them, breathing very heavily.

"It's…" the Dark Knight panted, "… _not_…a race."

"Yeah," Green Lantern agreed with narrowed eyes, "and even if it was, you didn't even give us a chance."

Beacon smirked as she rolled her eyes. "Come on," she drawn out the words. "We got a king to dethrone."

"I am on it!" Superman exclaimed enthusiastically. The other heroes stepped back as he approached the door. Then he drew back his fist and knocked the door open. There, they saw Mordred, surround by children. The immortal self-proclaimed king blinked at them in shock, but then burst into laughter.

"The Justice Babies!" Ha!"

Batman glowered at Mordred. "What are you laughing at, precious?"

"You. Mother sent you, huh?" Mordred sneered when he ceased laughing. "She shouldn't send a boy to do a man's job!"

"You do realize that there are two girls here, right?" Beacon barked. Mordred ignored her and grasped the amulet around his neck, as it glowed; the amulet sent a wave of purple energy at the action figures held in a boy's arms. The toys levitated out of his hands and began to grow in size, until they were about twenty feet tall.

* * *

The surrounding kids scattered out of the castle as fast as they could. The heroes however just stood there in shock for a moment, and then leaped into action. Superman charged at a red figure with a spiked mace, but was slammed aside into another figure with a giant hammer. Superman bounced off the giant's chest and crashed to the ground. The Man of Steel looked back to see the figure raise its hammer, preparing to crush him. Fortunately before it could, Green Lantern swooped in and blasted him with a beam of energy. The robotic figure turned to Lantern, and decided to give chase to this new opponent.

Batman attempted to attack Mordred head-on, but was cut off by a thin, purple Cyclops with large claws. He jumped over the monstrous figure's swing and got passed it by running up its arm, and jumping over its head. Then he launched a grapple at Mordred, who ducked just in time. Instead of hitting him, the grapple hit his throne.

"Ha!" the child sorcerer boasted with a wicked smirk.

Batman ignored him and pulled the line of his grapple towards him, knocking the throne on top of Mordred. This was short-lived, however, when the throne was blasted backwards, revealing a very livid Mordred floating in the air. He raised his arms and sent a pair of energy blasts at Batman, who dove out of the way. The magic struck the monster behind him, and after blinking in and out a few times. The creature vanished in a flash of purple sparks.

Beacon shot an energy blast at her opponent, a black figure in armor with a giant sword. The energy blast hit the figure in the chest, but there wasn't even a hint of a scratch in it. The Halfa blinked for a second before raising her other arm; firing two energy beams simultaneously. This time, the figure's armor was dented and smoking slightly, but overall, it just kept on walking towards her. Beacon stared into her glowing hands.

"Great…" was all the escaped her throat as she swerved away from the figure's sword swing. The Halfa decided that if energy blasts aren't going to work, she'll need a different tactic. She turned intangible as her opponent swung its weapon downward, the Halfa merely floated in place as she phased through the sword. Then she flew up right in front of the giant's face, and put her hand to the figure's forehead.

Beacon concentrated as she made its head intangible, and then she pulled the figure's head out of its body. The now headless body jerked slightly as sparks flew out of the frayed wires around its neck, and then finally, it fell limply to the ground. With a satisfied smile, the Halfa dropped her former opponent's head, and flew off to help the others.

Green Lantern flew up and down throughout the castle while dodging his opponent's hammer strikes at the same time. However he was having trouble deciding how to finish it.

"I'll make a laser cannon!" he rambled, "No, a missile launcher! Oh! Oh! I know!"

"Just pick something!" barked Batman.

Finally turning around to face his opponent, Lantern created a large green boxing glove, and sent the figure flying into the wall, smashing it into pieces.

* * *

In the meantime, Superman was able defeat his enemy with a blast of heat-vision. Wonder Woman however, was having much more difficultly. Her opponent, a malevolent-looking figure with a large spear, had pinned her to a pillar, its spear only stopped because of the Amazon's metal bracelets. Sadly, this left her unable to counterattack. Luckily, Batman jumped onto its head, and tried to stab it with a batarang, but the attack didn't penetrate its thick metal cranium. The figure reached up and grabbed Batman by the cape, who still tried to attack it by flailing his arms and legs.

Seeing her friend in trouble, Wonder Woman rushed forward and punched the figure's knee with all the strength she could muster. Cracks began to spread throughout its body, and then it shattered. Batman fell to the ground, but was caught by the Amazon.

"You okay, tough guy?" she asked with a smile.

"Let go, I'm fine!" Batman squirmed out of Wonder Woman's arms, and then sulked off. Wonder Woman watched him go with a small pout.

With their battles won, the heroes gathered together again in front of Mordred.

"That's not fair!" he jeered loudly.

Beacon pointed a finger at him. "Too bad buddy!" she exclaimed. "You're going down!"

"Get him!" Batman barked. All the heroes charged forward.

Mordred raised his hand, and all of the heroes were encased in ice, the flyers fell to the ground and sled for a few feet.

"Playtime is over," declared the sorcerer as he grabbed the amulet, making it glow again, "you will share the fate of all my enemies: _execution_."

* * *

The tiles on the floor began to disappear, leaving a hole where they used to be. When enough tiles have disappeared, the heroes fell into a dungeon below, and when they struck the ground, the ice that held them shattered. Superman was the first to recover and tried to fly back up, but Mordred created a web of magical energy that sent electricity through the Man of Steel's body when he made contact with it, and then it sent him crashing back to the ground. Beacon was the next one up to bat; she soared upwards and turned intangible, confident that she would be able phase through the barrier. Just as she was about a foot or two from reaching it however, the Halfa felt a tangling feeling in the pit of her stomach as her blue rings reappeared, turning her back into a human.

"Uh-oh…" then she screamed as she fell back into the dungeon. She was saved when Lantern created a giant glowing green baseball glove from his ring. "Ugh, thanks." She groaned, clutching her head. Then the Halfa looked up to the barrier in the ceiling. "Man, I was afraid of that."

"What happened?" asked Wonder Woman after she helped the Halfa off of the pillow. Once again, unlike her older self, Rachel now spotted a blue buttoned-up cardigan over a white shirt, a pair of jeans, and silver sneakers. Her hair was in the same pigtails as her ghost form, except the bows were now white.

Rachel turned to the Amazon. "Well, I-"

* * *

The heroes turned their attention to one of the gates in the dungeon that had just opened, revealing a pair of glowing, red eyes. From the shadows stepped a very small, yellow monster with fangs on his upper and lower jaw, and fan-shaped ears. He wore a red suit, with a purple cape. He was eyeing the heroes with murderous intent.

"What did he do to the demon?" questioned Green Lantern.

"Etrigan?" asked Batman. The pint-sized demon said nothing; instead he blew a stream of fire at the heroes. Wonder Woman grabbed Batman and pull him to safety, while Rachel dove behind a shield created by Green Lantern for cover.

Before Etrigan could overwhelm Lantern's shield, Superman flew forward and grabbed the little demon.

"Don't hurt him!" yelled Batman. Superman eyed the Dark Knight curiously when Etrigan opened his mouth and chomped down on Kryptonian's arm. Since Etrigan was a magical being, his fangs were able to pierce his normally-indestructible skin.

"Ow! Tell him that!" Superman shook his arm, launching Etrigan across the dungeon. The demon, in turn blew a fireball into Superman's face.

Green Lantern tried to put to Etrigan in a cage, but he simply climbed out of it. The demon slammed head first into Lantern, knocking the hero off his feet. Then Etrigan leapt into the air, trying to crush Lantern. Luckily the hero was able to create a bubble to protect himself. Before Etrigan could penetrate the shield, Batman flung his cape over Etrigan's face.

"Etrigan," Batman grunted as he tried to restrain him, "cut it out!"

The demon didn't comply, grabbing the cape and throwing Batman over his head and onto the Detective's back. As the demon stood over the fallen hero, two voices barked behind him.

"Etrigan!"

"You stop right there! I mean it!"

Etrigan turned to see Rachel and Wonder Woman standing there with arms crossed and hands on hips respectively. The Amazon leaned in closer to the demon.

"You naughty monster!" she scolded as she waved a finger at him, "Bad, bad Etrigan!"

Seeing the Amazon and the Halfa's angry faces made tears well up in Etrigan's eyes, and then he began to cry.

The two girls widened their eyes as they exchanged looks with one another. Then Wonder Woman scooped up the crying demon, and rocked him in her arms. "Hey, little guy, it's okay." The Amazon cooed. "We won't hurt you."

"You know," Rachel added as she rubbed Etrigan's head, in which the demon made a happy gargle sound. "He's actually kind of cute."

Batman rolled over. "You've got to be kidding."

"He's just a baby." Wonder Woman patted Etrigan's back until he burped a small ball of fire. "That's all he needed."

Green Lantern sniffed the air, then his face twisted with disgust. "Aw, man!" he bellowed as he waved at the air. "That ain't all he needs."

Batman slowly strolled backwards. "Now _that _is a job for Superman."

"I'm gonna punch our way out of here." Green Lantern suggested, and then ran off after Batman.

Wonder Woman handed Etrigan to Superman. "I'll help."

Superman looked at Rachel with quivering eyes.

Rachel shook her head. "Give him here." She sighed.

With the widest grin possible, Superman wasted no time passing the demon over into the Halfa's arms. "Thanks, I owe you one!" He then flew off the meet up with the others.

"Yeah, yeah." Rachel muttered exasperatedly, as she took a sniff and held the smelly Etrigan as far away as her arms could stretch.

* * *

As the heroes worked their way out of the dungeon, Wonder Woman turned to Rachel.

"So, what happened back there, Rach?" she asked. "Why'd you lose your powers?"

The Halfa stared at the Amazon, and then at the baby demon in her arms. The latter gave her a hint of a shrug.

"Normally, when Halfas reach the age of eight, that's when they start gaining the use of their powers." Rachel began. The other's turned their heads to look at the two girls, wanting to hear Rachel's explanation. "Thing is, at that age; those powers are very difficult to control. That's why I turned back into a human even though it was the last thing I wanted."

Wonder Woman nodded as Superman spoke up. "So, how long did it take you to control you powers?"

Rachel thought for a moment. "About a year, that's one of the reasons why I went into the Guardian program; they know how to develop a Halfa's powers better than almost anyone, but ultimately it varies from person to person. Take my cousin Robin for example; he was able to get full control of his powers in about six months, even though he got his powers _after_ me."

Superman whistled. "Cool," and then he turned back to face the front.

"But there's one more thing." Rachel said. The others looked back at her. "I'm a lot weaker than I was before, and I don't have duplication or my sensory."

"I think it's safe to say with our bodies the way they are," replied Batman. "We all feel a lot weaker than our older selves."

"Yeah," Wonder Woman agreed as she put an arm on the Halfa's shoulder, "don't worry about it, we'll do just fine if we all work together."

Rachel smiled at her friends, and nodded.

* * *

A few hours later, the heroes made their way to the square just outside the castle. The scene wasn't pretty; there were children running amuck, fighting with each other, and making a mess of the whole area. Rachel stayed behind to look after Etrigan while the other tried to control the situation. They decided that seeing a demon won't exactly calm the kids down.

Superman looked over at two kids fighting with wooden swords. "You two," he pointed a finger at them, "knock it off!"

"What are you going to do?" retorted one of the kids smugly. "You're just a kid." Then both of them jumped back as two laser beams scorched a line in the ground in front of them.

"I'm the kid with laser beams coming out of his eyes." Superman growled. The kids' mouths dropped to the floor as they exchanged looks with each other, and then they ran away in fear.

Wonder Woman floated to the center of the square. Her eyebrow twitching as she witnessed the chaos in front of her.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" She yelled out when she could no longer bear it.

Her voice was so loud; all the other children instantly stopped what they were and looked at the Amazon. Even Rachel and Etrigan, who were in an alley a few blocks away, heard her projected voice. The baby demon made a small whimper as he snuggled closer to the Halfa.

"There, there," she said calmly as she held the demon. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

As the children stared at Wonder Woman, a small girl said, "You can't tell us what to do! You're not our mom!"

Wonder Woman glared at her. "No, but I promise you, we will find all your moms." She turned her glare to all the other children. "And I'm gonna tell!"

_Ohhh, she played the 'trump card'. _Rachel thought as she chuckled. Upon seeing the Halfa laughing, Etrigan laughed as well.

"W-well, what should we do?" asked the little girl in a lot lower voice.

"Go outside and wait for your parents." She commanded, and then pointed in a general direction. "NOW!"

The other children groaned as they all slowly left the park. Finally, Rachel regrouped with the others heroes with the square was deserted. She noticed Wonder Woman walk up to Batman, place a hand on her hip and grin brightly. The Halfa smirked while Batman and Green Lantern both widened their eyes. Superman however, remained expressionless; because apparently he didn't notice any of it.

"Your girlfriend sure is bossy." Lantern remarked.

"Shut up," Batman snapped, and then stalked off.

"So those two have a history, huh?" asked Rachel.

"Oh, without a doubt; Bats just won't admit it. It's really sad."

* * *

The heroes made into their way to where Mordred was stealthily. Even though there wasn't much need for it. There weren't any guards to avoid; Mordred must've thought they were dead. The heroes saw the self-proclaimed king sleeping on the lounge chair; to make things better, he had a pair of headphones covering his ears.

"We can take him," whispered Wonder Woman.

"I'll make a giant lawnmower and chew him up!" suggested Green Lantern. The other heroes all raised an eyebrow at him for a moment.

"I say we get that amulet away from him first," Batman turned to Rachel, "Your powers working yet?"

"Give me a second." Rachel replied as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then her irises turned blue as her rings turned her back into Beacon. "I'm good." She gave them the "thumbs up"

"Alright," said Batman. He knelt down and drew a circle and then an X in the dirt. "While Beacon takes the amulet away, we'll split and sneak behind him." He drew two curved lines that lead to the X. "After that, should be able to stop him." He looked at Green Lantern. "But _no _mowers."

"Why?" asked Lantern.

"Because it's stupid." Superman answered.

"I guess I'll go with Clark." Proposed Wonder Woman. Then a crafty look came over her face as she looked at Batman. "Unless I should go with you."

"Whatever," the Dark Knight replied coolly.

"I'm fine to go with Diana," interjected Clark.

"So Bruce and I are good to go?" asked Green Lantern.

"I changed my mind," said Wonder Woman, "I'll go with Bruce, and John can go with Clark."

"_Whatever._" Repeated Batman as Wonder Woman grabbed his arm and pulled him off.

"What's with them?" asked Superman, completely clueless.

"Man, for somebody with, like, 50 different kinds of vision," Lantern said as he floated in the air, "You are so blind." Then he took off.

"Yeah," Beacon added as she too flew off, "and don't even get me started on the whole 'Lois' thing'."

Superman floated there for a second. "What?" he pondered, still none-the-wiser.

* * *

As the original Leaguers moved into position, Beacon flew invisible towards the sleeping sorcerer. Once she got up above him, the Halfa slowly reached for the amulet.

"Whatcha doin'?" Superman and Green Lantern, who was hiding behind a set of armor, jumped as they turned to see a little girl behind them. Even though she knew that little girl wasn't addressing her, Beacon was so focused on her task; that hearing the voice startled her too. The Halfa dropped the amulet on Mordred's chest, making him stir.

"Get the amulet!" barked Batman.

As he sat upright on his lounge chair, Beacon rushed in and tackled Mordred to the ground, swiftly followed by Superman, Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Batman. All the heroes worked together to keep Mordred pinned to the ground.

"Keep him down!" yelled Batman, "He's just a little kid!"

Batman's words seemed to infuriate Mordred, as his eyes began to glow, and his body began to enlarge.

"Man, I hate magic!" grumbled Green Lantern, as he and the others were thrown off.

"Now who's little?" boasted Mordred, whose voice is now amplified. He brought his giant foot down at Superman and the little girl. Luckily, Superman was fast enough to grab to her and fly out of the way.

The heroes wasted no time getting back to their feet, and flying off. Batman got into the air with the help of Green Lantern, who made a willpower-generated surfboard.

They didn't get far before Mordred taunted at them. "Yes, that's right! Run away, you little _pipsqueaks_!"

Beacon came to a dead stop in midair, and then looked back at the sorcerer. Her teeth were clinched and her face was contorted with rage.

"Beacon?" asked Wonder Woman.

The Halfa didn't respond as she blasted back towards Mordred. With her hands glowing with energy, she slammed right into his chest.

"Oof!" the sorcerer exclaimed as he fell to the ground, creating a large shockwave.

"Don't _ever _call me 'pipsqueak'!" Beacon yelled with a foul glare.

"Beacon!" the Halfa turned back to see Batman yelling at her. "Let's go!"

* * *

With one last look of contempt at the writhing Mordred, Beacon flew off to rejoin her fellow heroes. What she didn't notice however, was that the sorcerer had sat back up, and fired a blast of magic from his eyes. The blast hit two stone dragons that made them come to life. The dragons screeched loudly as they spread their wings, and then took off after the heroes.

Before Wonder Woman could react, one of the stone dragons swooped in and grabbed her by the shoulders. She tried with all her strength to break the monster's hold, but found that she couldn't.

Seeing that her friend needed help, Beacon landed on top of the dragon's head and covered its eyes with her hands. The dragon screeched and flailed its head in an attempt to throw the Halfa off of it. Wonder Woman took this opportunity and threw her magic lasso around the dragon's jaw; she used her super-strength to hurl the monster off her, and then flew forward and shattered the stone dragon with a mighty punch. Beacon and Wonder Woman watched as the rumble fell toward the ground, then with wide grins, the two girls high-fived each other.

The two made it back to the castle, where Superman and the little girl were waiting. They all turned to see Green Lantern and Batman rushing towards them with the giant Mordred hot on their heels. They all made their way into the castle, before barricading the doors shut.

"Come out of my castle!" Mordred boomed. "Your king commands it!" he then proceeded to ram his shoulder into the doors.

* * *

The heroes gathered together, trying to come up with a new strategy.

"I got a plan," announced Green Lantern enthusiastically, "I'll make some giant handcuffs and…"

"Forget it." Batman interrupted, "We've gotta focus on…" upon seeing Lantern's disappointed face, he reconsidered. "Never mind what I just said, we'll take care of everything else; Lantern, you crazy." This brought a smile to Lantern's face.

Mordred was finally able to break through the barricade to his castle. However, he eyes his throne room curiously when he saw that it was empty.

"Hey, junior!"

Mordred whirled around when he heard the voice call him out, and found a giant green battle suit, almost equal to him in size, piloting it was Green Lantern.

"How about picking on somebody your own size?"

A devilish smile appeared on Mordred's face as he cracked his knuckles. "You're so dead."

Narrowing his eyes, Lantern created missile launchers on his suit's shoulders, firing a barrage at the self-proclaimed king. Mordred however, didn't even flinch. When the smoke from the explosion cleared, Mordred was completely unharmed, but his appearance had changed. He was now wearing a suit of medieval armor and holding giant poleax. Smirking, the sorcerer charged. Lantern tried to slow him down by shooting him with the cannon on his suit's arm, but that too proved useless. The axe penetrated right through the stomach of Lantern's suit, knocking it to the ground and pinning the hero there.

As the willpower construct vanished, Mordred asked sadistically, "Thought you could beat me in the piece of junk?"

Lantern expressed a smirk of his own. "Wasn't really trying."

Mordred felt something tug around his neck, and saw Superman trying to pull off his amulet. "Treachery!" he yelled.

As Superman successfully yanked off the amulet, he was grabbed by Mordred. Unable to break free, Superman tossed it to Batman. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to get far either, as Mordred caught him with his other hand. He quickly threw it to Wonder Woman, who ran as fast as she could to a cluster of rocks. Mordred sent a blast of magic from his eyes, pulling the Amazon towards him.

At the last possible second, she threw the amulet to the rocks, where it suddenly stopped in midair. The amulet floated for a moment before Beacon revealed herself. She looked at the amulet, and then turned her eyes to the sorcerer with devious smirk on her face.

"_Don't you dare._" Mordred snarled through gritted teeth.

"Dare what?" The Half replied shrewdly, "This?" Her hands glowed blue, causing the amulet in her hand to vibrate viciously. There was a blinding flash of white light as the magical item shattered into tiny pieces.

"NO!" Mordred shouted as he began to shrink back to his normal size. This gave the heroes trapped in his grasp time to escape.

* * *

Unfortunately, the force with so powerful; it blasted Beacon back toward the earth. After bouncing painfully off the ground, the Halfa lied there as she turned back into a human. Her vision blurred in and out of focus as she saw the others huddle around her.

"Ugh, did we win?" Rachel asked tiredly.

After the others had exchanged looks, Wonder Woman extended a hand and pulled Rachel to her feet. Then all of them, even baby Etrigan, grinned at one another.

"Nice try," came Mordred's voice. The heroes turned to see him getting back to his feet, his armor smoking, but other than that, he seemed relatively unharmed. "but I've already absorbed too much of the amulet's power."

The six heroes felt themselves being pulled into the air and held upside-down. Mordred raised the broad sword he was holding, and used his magic to transform it into a more sinister looking, and curvilinear one.

"Now," he said as he directed the sword towards the heroes, "I'll take care of my kingly duty myself." But before he walked towards them, he turned when he noticed the little girl from earlier get in his way.

"What?" Mordred asked.

"I'm scared," the girl cried, "I want my mommy."

"You don't need a mummy," informed Mordred, "you're better off without one; trust me."

The girl's whimper began louder, and then she started to cry.

"Stop it," demanded Mordred, "Stop it!"

"Oh way to go, your _Majesty!_" exclaimed Rachel.

"Some king," commented Superman sarcastically.

"I'm not impressed," said Wonder Woman.

"What'd you expected?" questioned Batman, "He's a boy, doing a man's job."

"You don't know what it's like," Mordred blurted out, walking up to the dangling heroes, "being stuck as a kid."

"Since you got all that power, you could've been a man any time you wanted." Batman smirked, "I'll bet you're too chicken to grow up."

"Yep," Green Lantern chimed in, "big chicken, that's what you are."

"You know what?" added Rachel, "I think you actually _like _being a little momma's boy."

Mordred's face twisted in a fit of rage. "I'll show you," he yelled, "I'll show you all!" In a flash of purple light, the boy disappeared. In his place stood a tall, muscular young man who looked about in his early twenties. "I'm older than you now." He boasted in slightly deeper voice.

"You _sure_ are." The Dark Knight agreed; the smirk still etched on his face.

Mordred's eyes widened as his began to disappear. "Wait, what? No!" In a few seconds, he disappeared entirely. With the sorcerer gone, the heroes felt the magic suspending them wear off; they landed on their feet and walked to the spot where Mordred just stood.

* * *

**Alternate dimension**

Mordred looked around at the dimension where he'd sent the adults to. Now he was tricked into sending himself into his own prison.

"They cheated!" he jeered, "After I fix this, they're toast!" he flexed his muscles in an attempt to summon his magic, but nothing happened. "What's wrong with me, Where's my power?"

"You've used it all." came a grim voice from behind him. He turned to see his mother, Morgaine Le Fey. "Don't you realize what you've done?"

"What?" he demanded as he approached his mother, panic creeping up on his face. "WHAT!?"

* * *

**Earth**

Mordred's spell began to wear off across the world, and adults reunited with the children that missed them. Anything in reality that Mordred had changed was reversed, and the world began to return to normal.

Over at the amusement park, Morgaine Le Fey appeared before the six members of the Justice League.

"A bargain is a bargain." She said simply. Then with a wave of green energy, the Leaguers were returned to their rightful ages. Rachel looked down at her body as she turned back into a ghost, and sure enough, her tracksuit was replaced by her usual skirt and jacket. Wonder Woman, who had been holding the baby Etrigan, looked down to see the adult version of the demon.

"Mommy." He cooed. Wonder Woman groaned in disgust and instantly dropped him on the ground.

Without another word, Le Fey turned her back to them and created a magic portal.

"Wait," said Batman, "what happened to Mordred?"

"My spell granted him eternal youth," explained Le Fey as she turned to face the Dark Knight, "but now that he's broken it, all he has is eternal life." Without another glance at the other heroes, the sorceress walked through the portal, which then vanished. Somehow her parting words made Beacon shudder.

Batman's eyes narrowed as he looked out at the happy families that were being reunited.

"Circumstances aside," said Wonder Woman as she walked up from behind him, "it was kind of… enjoyable to be a kid again."

Batman didn't even look at her as he replied. "I haven't been a kid since I was eight years old." The other Leaguers frowned, understanding the Dark Knight's meaning, and then, the heroes all silently left the park.

* * *

**Stone castle: near some mountain region.**

The rain poured down and lightning flash around the dimly lit castle as she approached a plush arm chair in front of the fire place.

"Did you miss mommy?" asked Morgaine Le Fey.

The sorceress grab a hand towel from a nearby table, and leaned to the figure slouched in the chair. The feeble old man simply sat there unresponsive as Le Fey wiped the drool pooling out of him open mouth.

"Don't you worry, baby." Le Fey told him in a soft voice. "Mommy's going to take good care of you… _From now on._"

* * *

**Another chapter in finished. This one got me thinking about how Rachel would've been when she first started out into the hero business, and I hope you guys enjoyed what I've come up with. **

**Now I would like to apologize if Rachel and Kara's relationship, or soon-to-be relationship makes any of you uncomfortable. I just thought it would be interesting and fun to ship them together. **

**And to Inviso-Al: I must applaud you for asking all the correct questions, and to answer you previous one: yes there will be more characters for the DP universe. As to who they will be, well you'll just have to stay tuned to find out. **

**With all that said and done; thank you all for reading, and as always: I will see you all next time!**


	9. Chapter 8

**I don't own DC or DP.**

**WOW! 3000 views! I want to thank you all for reading this! Words cannot express how grateful I am.**

**Now without further ado… Let's get on with it.**

Beacon of Justice

Chapter 8

The middle-age man known as Gilbert Halstrom stumbled as he ran for his life through the streets of nighttime Metropolis. His hunter was nowhere in sight, but he knew this was only wishful thinking; nothing could stop who was following him. He stopped in front of a building and jiggled the doorknob frantically, but the door wouldn't open no matter how hard he tried. Before he could try to force his way in, two red beams struck the doorknob, turning the once solid metal into a red molten puddle. The man turned and gasped in fear as his pursuer landed right in front of him. Her face was twisted in a merciless smirk and her blue eyes were unyielding.

"What's with the running, Doc?" asked Supergirl in a low, ruthless manner, "We both know how this is gonna turn out."

"I didn't tell anyone!" said the man as he slowly back stepped to distance himself from the Kryptonian. However, his retreat was halted when he felt the cold metal of the door make contact with his back. "I swear!"

"Good," Supergirl's lips arched even higher than before, "then you're the only loose end." She raised an eyebrow when she heard the cocking sound coming from behind her. When she spun around, she saw a flash of green light speed past her, and then felt an intense burn on her arm. Judging from the pain, the shot of energy must have been Kryptonite-based.

Supergirl eyed her wound angrily, and then glared at the people responsible. While her prey bolted away from the scene, she vanished in a blur faster than the human eye could detect, reappearing moments later in front of one of the gunmen's sights. The sniper in question barely had time to take in what his was looking at before his rifle was yanked from his hands and had his face smashed with it. The other gunman standing on another roof quickly worked to get another shot off, but Supergirl lifted the previous man over her head and thrown him into his fellow ambusher.

More shots rained down upon Supergirl's location, narrowly missing the Girl of Steel. She jerked her head up to see three more gunmen flying towards her with jetpacks, all of them firing their weapons freely down at her. Supergirl took to the air, effortlessly avoiding the blasts of Kryptonite. Flying down through the city streets, Supergirl aimed her hear-vision and sliced off a piece of building, the piece smashed onto one of the flying gunmen, taking him out of the equation.

Supergirl flew lower to the streets, causing dust and debris to blow into the air, while her followers loomed ever closer. She blasted an oncoming car with her heat-vision in an attempt to halt their pursuit, but the men simply swerved out of the debris' way. Trying a different tactic, she flew behind a billboard and ripped it out of the hinges that secured it to the building. Holding it above her head, she slammed it down onto the remaining two men.

While brushing the dust of her hands, she turned when she heard towards the sound of the rapid breathing and pounding footsteps that belonged to her original target. In no time, she caught up with the middle-aged man at a laboratory. After smashing the solid-steel double doors, the Girl of Steel brushed her hair behind her ear and stormed inside.

She moved throughout the room when a set of doors opened, revealing a rover-like robot with various sharp tools, and a large syringe-like apparatus. The machine gave Supergirl no time to react as it used one of its clamps to grab her arm, and slam her against a wall. As she tried to free her arm, the machine's saw-blade whirred into life and extended towards her. She was just able to stop it with her other arm before it sliced her throat open. She ripped off the saw, just in time to stop the syringe from piercing her body. The syringe was close enough for her to see the bright green point.

Using the power in her legs, she pushed the robot away from her, while at the same time; she ripped off its clamp. The machine flew across the room, shattering both it and the wall into pieces. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she noticed Halstrom's head peering out of the hole in the wall.

The man was absolutely shaking his entire being as Supergirl approached him. "You can scream now, if you want." She muttered was a sadistic grin, as her eyes glowed red.

The man's scream could be heard throughout the night, while hundreds of miles away, another scream was heard. Kara ripped off her blankets and sat bolt upright on her bed, trembling as the cold sweat ran down her face. She gasped for breath as she took in her surroundings. Her breathing steadied slightly when she realized that she was in her room in the Kent house, and not Metropolis, but this did little to set her at ease, why did she keep getting these dreams? What could was the purpose behind them? She pulled her knees to her chest when she heard the sound of smothering above her.

She looked up to see two holes in the ceiling, freshly burned by heat vision.

* * *

**Watchtower: conference room**

Supergirl sat down on the table opposite the Martian Manhunter. The latter had spent the past few hours examining her mind, trying to find the meaning behind her recent nightmares.

"Hmm, I've never fully understood the mechanics of dreams, "he began, "I don't have them myself."

"Well, this one's doing a number on my ceiling," Supergirl rubbed her fingers sheepishly, "and Pa Kent's getting tired of patching it."

"I will say this," the Martian stated as he stood up from his chair, "What I saw was far more linear than ordinary dream-logic, but it didn't seem like a memory, either. It was inconclusive."

Supergirl widened her eyes as she looked at him. "You mean I may have actually done these things?" The possibility that she may have been responsible in _killing _someone, or perhaps multiple people, was absolutely horrifying.

"I'm sorry," said J'onn grimly, "I just don't know."

A woman's voice from a nearby communication screen lit up. "J'onn, President ChoJeb is on Line One."

J'onn turned back to Supergirl. "I'm going to put you on the Inactive Roster for a few days. Let me know what you find." With that, the Martian exited the room, leaving Kara standing there to sulk.

* * *

Supergirl walked solemnly to the cafeteria, where she sat down at a table with Green Arrow and Beacon. When the Halfa saw the expression on her friend's face, she forgot all about her appetite.

"Kara, what's the matter?" asked Beacon, concern etched in every word.

Supergirl took a deep breath, and then explained what had happened during the past few nights, and what J'onn had told her in the conference room. When she finished, Beacon pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Kara, I'm so sorry," she said when they separated. "I hope you're okay." Beacon could understand, at least in part of what Supergirl was going through; even though it's been nearly half a year, her nightmares still persisted, though they were less frequent, and they hardly ever woke her up anymore. Still, it pained her to see Kara go through the dread of awful nightmares.

"What's the big deal?' shrugged Green Arrow, "You had some nightmares."

Beacon glared at the archer for his insensitivity

"These weren't just dreams," assured Supergirl, "they felt like they really happened."

"I don't know. I've had some dreams that felt mighty real." Arrow turned to see Black Canary sitting across the room, typing on a laptop. "There was this one the other night…"

"Arrow! We're over here!" Beacon barked as she snapped her fingers at the ogling man, snapping him back to the two girls sitting next to him.

"The point is that I couldn't live with myself if I really did what I saw." Supergirl looked between her friends. "Now, are the two of you gonna help me or not?"

"Do you even have to ask, Kara? _Of course _I'll help you." Beacon replied almost immediately. Supergirl grinned at her gratefully.

"Count me in," added Green Arrow, "but vague memories like one of those alien abductions things… Maybe you've just been hanging out in Kansas too long."

"Wouldn't be so sure," advised a new voice. The others turned to see a wearing a long blue trench coat, pants, black tie, blue fedora, and an orange shirt sit down at their table. His face was apparently covered by a mask that had no face. No eyes, no nose, and no mouth. No doubt this was the one known only as The Question. "Especially when _she_'s the alien." He finished by pointing at Supergirl.

Beacon and Supergirl exchanged curious looks as Question continued. "You've got all the signs of repressed memories." Question said to the Girl of Steel, "People dream what their minds don't want to remember; easier to convince themselves it's all bunk."

"Repressed memories?" repeated Beacon, "of what?"

"And when?" added Green Arrow.

"You've been to S.T.A.R Labs, treated for injuries there." The Question asked without looking at the Halfa. At least, he didn't appear to. Beacon couldn't tell one way or the other.

"Yeah," said Supergirl, "a few years ago when Superman was brainwashed and attacked the Earth. I got hurt and he took me S.T.A.R for help; I was in a coma for part of it."

"Meaning there's a gap in time you can't account for." Question reasoned, and then turned his head to face Arrow. "_That's _when."

"Okay, enough!" jabbed the Archer. He looked at the two younger heroes. "Don't listen to this guy, everything's conspiracies with him."

"Not conspiracies," the faceless hero corrected, "_conspiracy_, singular."

"_Whatever._" Arrow retorted.

"Guys," Beacon cut in, making the two men look at her. "While I don't believe for one second that Supergirl did any of the things in her nightmares, it's worth taking a closer look." She looked at Arrow, "and _any _lead is better that none."

The two men nodded. "Follow me." Question said as he got up and motion for them to walk with him.

As the heroes trekked down the hall of the Watchtower, Supergirl whispered to Beacon, "You really don't think I did it?"

Beacon looked firmly into her eyes. "No," she whispered back, "you'd never do those things, Kara. That's not who you are."

Supergirl gave her another heartfelt smile, which Beacon returned. Then she felt her face grow warm. Ever since that day, when Kara had kissed her, the interactions between the two had become somewhat distant and awkward. However whenever they'd make eye contact, both of their cheeks would turn red and they would quickly turn away from each other.

Her train of thought was halted when they arrived at Question's room. Every Leaguer had a room assigned to them on the Watchtower. Some of them stayed on the station full-time, and they needed a place to stay; others would stay in their rooms for convenience.

* * *

"Going back as far as ancient Egypt there've been a cabal of powerful individuals directing the course of human history," Question told the others as they studied a large board with pictures, scientific journals, and newspaper articles pinned to it, all of which are interconnected with strings, "but, the common man prefers to believe that they don't exist, and that aids their success."

The other three took a closer look at the connected issues on the wall. "Global warming," read Supergirl, "military upheavals in the third world, actors elected to public office?"

"The spread of coffee bars, germs outpacing antibiotics, and boy-bands?" read Green Arrow. "Come on, who would gain from all this?"

"Who indeed?" was Question's vague response.

The other heroes exchanged looks. "What does all this have to do with my dreams?" asked Supergirl.

"If I'm right, you're part of it; you're going to need my help. I'm going with you." The Question turned around and walked out of his room. The others followed him.

"Hold your horses," said Green Arrow as he caught up, "no one asked for more help. This whole trip might just prove that the kid shouldn't eat nachos before bed."

"Peanut-butter sandwiches." The Question stated matter-of-factly.

The others stared with wide eyes. "How did you… What? Do you go through my trash?!"

"_Please_," The Question seemed somewhat offended by the accusation, "I go through everyone's trash."

"So," Beacon turned to Green Arrow, sounding confused, "where did we find this guy?"

* * *

**S.T.A.R. Labs, Metropolis**

When the four heroes reach the laboratories, they were greeted by Professor Hamilton, a middle-aged man with dirty-blond hair and beard. He wore thick-rimmed glasses and a white lab coat. From what Beacon was told; Profession Hamilton had been a friend to both Supergirl and Superman for years, and had use his scientific expertise to help them on several occasions. After Supergirl had explained what had been happening, the professor brought them to a room in the facility's medical wing.

"This is where we treated you when were in your coma." Hamilton said in a calm, reassuring voice, gesturing to a high-tech operating table, "You were on life-support the whole time; I promise, you weren't running around on violent missions."

"Well then, Professor Hamilton," asked a skeptical Question, "maybe you can tell us why her memories led her here."

"I think I can explain that." Replied Hamilton, maintaining his calm demeanor, he then turned back to Supergirl. "You mentioned some sort of torture device."

"Yes." Supergirl confirmed.

"With robotic arms and a long probe in the center?" the Professor went on.

"Cut to the chase," said Arrow, "You say you've seen something like it?"

"In fact, I have." Hamilton walked across the room, and pressed a few buttons on a keypad.

A door next to the panel opened, and Superfirl gasped. "That's it." Even this machine was smaller than the one in her dream, it was identical!

"It's not torture device." Hamilton explained as the robot moved forward. "It's a surgical robot. It has a Kryptonite-tipped lance; it was the only way to operate on you, Supergirl. That robot saved your life."

The Professor turned his eyes to The Question. "As for the rest of your dream." He turned to Supergirl. "We humans are used to being vulnerable, but to you, surgery must have seemed terribly invasive. And powerless to defend yourself, it's possible your mind constructed a scenario of fighting back."

Supergirl looked down for a moment, and then nodded. After thanking Hamilton for his time, the heroes began to leave the lab.

"Professor Hamilton, may I make a suggestion?" asked Beacon before she walked out.

"What is it?" Hamilton asked curiously.

"If you want less traumatized patients," said the Halfa, "try designing something that doesn't look like it's used for torture."

Hamilton expressed a halfhearted grin. "Thank you for the input; I'll take that into consideration."

Beacon nodded and walked after her fellow heroes.

* * *

Outside of the labs, the heroes began talking amongst themselves.

"Well, I think that answered everything." Green Arrow said, looking satisfied.

"A little too well." commented The Question.

"Does everything have a sinister motive in your world?" asked the archer.

"Yours, too. You just don't know it." The Question retorted. Then Beacon and Supergirl both widened their eyes.

"Uh, guys?" Supergirl pointed to the three attack-helicopters fly towards them. The front chopper dropped a silver man-sized robot, where it tackled Supergirl to the ground. Before the others could react, a squadron of armed men began firing at them.

Green Arrow and Question dove behind boulders while Beacon fired energy blasts of her own, downing a few of the gunman. Meanwhile, Green Arrow took a cue from Question and fired a shot up into the air. The arrow exploded into a smokescreen; allowing the heroes to use it as cover while they took out more of the attackers. When the smoke cleared, Arrow fired an explosive arrow at the rotors of one of the landed helicopters, blowing it to shreds. Beacon fired a shot at another helicopter, disabling that one.

Supergirl kicked the robot off of her, causing it skid for a few yards. Then before it got back up, the Kryptonian rushed in and decapitated the robot with a vicious uppercut. The point of the robot's horseshoe-shape head embedded itself onto a rock.

"What was that about?" demanded Green Arrow as he surveyed the wreckage from the fight.

"What do you think?" asked Question as he walked away, "We're asking questions that somebody doesn't want answered."

"Oh learn a new tune already." Arrow quipped exasperatingly.

"I am starting to think he's right," admitted Supergirl as she clinched her fists. "That robot came after _me._ The rest of this was just… distraction."

"So now we need to figure out who those guys were and who sent them." Said Beacon firmly, the other two nodded.

"Standard Z8 Combat Trainer," analyzed Question as he walked back over to the three, holding the severed head of the robot.

"Like the ones we use," stated Green Arrow, "the League buys 'em in bulk."

"So?" asked Supergirl, not knowing where this was headed.

"So, who do we buy them from?" asked Question.

"The Army, I think…" Then the realization struck her. "Oh, wait a minute…"

"Another fun fact:" said Question, "the man who commissioned the Z8 Project? He's the same man who put you in the hospital."

"General Hardcastle?" questioned Supergirl, "He's retired now, isn't he?"

"Gone," corrected Question, "and hoping to be forgotten."

* * *

The trip to General Hardcastle's cabin in the woods took shorter than expected. The Question, at this point unsurprisingly, knew where he lived, and therefore was able to provide the coordinates. After a quick teleport from the Watchtower, the heroes walked up the porch, where Beacon raised her hand to knock on the door. However after one light tap; the door slowly swung open, revealing the dark interior where to only source of light was a dimly-lit fireplace. The heroes exchanged curious looks with one another.

"Figured someone'd come for someday," the heroes turned towards the husky voice as a bald elderly man turned on a lamp next to him. He eyed the heroes warningly as he aimed a high-tech looking pistol at Supergirl. "Only I thought they'd be from the other side. This weapon fires a projectile of Kryptonite pellets, suspended in a liquid-silicon core. Causes maximum scatter on impact; only gets one shot, but trust me, alien, it'll do the job."

Supergirl raised her hands as a gesture of peace. "We're not here to hurt you; we just have some questions."

Hardcastle just stared at her, unconvinced. "Sorry if I don't take your word for it; as I recall, your kind can be fickle." Supergirl widened her eyes as she anticipated the shot, but in a blur of motion, Beacon stood right in front of her, directly in the line of fire.

"Sir, please, we mean you no harm," Said the Halfa sincerely, "but if you pull that trigger, I assure you: you're going to have one _bad _day."

Silence filled the cabin for a moment as Hardcastle considered his options. This hesitation was enough for Question to sneak by, and knock the pistol out of his hand.

"Come on, be a good host," suggested Green Arrow, "and tell us a story."

* * *

After a few minutes, everyone waited patiently as Supergirl explained the situation. The other three stood on stand-by just in case Hardcastle tried anything.

"The Army shut me out after Superman invaded." The General spoke as he poked at the fireplace. "The feeling upstairs was that I failed when it counted most, so how could I lead again? I got the message and took early retirement."

He walked back to his chair and sat down. "The problem is I know too much. One of these days they'll decide to shut me up."

"Who will?" asked Supergirl, "What do you know?"

Hardcastle looked her firmly in the eye. "The military and big business have been in cahoots for decades. Top-secret stuff, experiments on metahumans, mutants and aliens; searching for new technologies, both for nation security and profit. That Volcana woman?" he meant the fire-themed villain that the League had fought several years back. "She was one of ours. Same as those freaks the Joker made up like playing cards."

"What does any of this have to do with Supergirl?" Beacon wondered.

"It has to do with _all _of them." The General remarked firmly. "Your little club up that spaceship? There's a file on every single one of you." He turned back to Supergirl. "But I don't know anything about these dreams of yours. If it is connected to these people, I've been kept out of the loop too long to know."

"And how do we find _these people_?" Question chimed in.

"You don't," said Hardcastle bluntly, "they find you."

* * *

The General didn't seem to have any more information to divulge, so the heroes politely left his home. Once they got back out on the porch. Beacon put a hand on Supergirl's shoulder as she turned to the other two.

"Does this mean the trail ends here?"

"Not necessarily," replied Question, "but I'll need some time to process this." He pressed the communicator in his ear. "Martian, pick us up." In a flash of light, the four heroes vacated the spot.

* * *

Inside the cabin, Hardcastle sat on his chair, staring into the fire. Boy, has he done it now. He'd revealed some very dangerous secrets, and of all people; he revealed to the heroes of _Justice_ _League_. They will undoubtedly be coming after him now. He needed a drink. He walked over to his mini-bar, and poured himself a glass of whiskey. Before he could bring the alcohol to his lips, the door opened again, and he let his irritation show.

"What? I told you everything I…" he turned to see a familiar, yet unfamiliar person standing there. "Supergirl?"

The young woman standing in his doorway wore a white, long-sleeved leotard with a gold belt that showed off her firm, defined legs. There was a hole in her leotard that revealed part of her cleavage. Her boots and gloves were the same color, and her blonde hair was cut short. Her looks matched that of the Kryptonian, except she looked about two or three years older.

"Yes," she responded as she stepped inside, "and no. My friends call me Tea. Are you a friend, General?"

Hardcastle's glass slipped out of his hand as he took in the woman in front of him. His career in the military has taught him how to identify a threat, and this tops all of them. He turned and rush for his Kryptonite pistol, but Tea destroyed with her heat-vision. The resulting blast scorched Hardcastle's hand. With a yell of pain, he fell onto his chair.

Tea walked up to him slowly, and then leaned in closer with her hands behind her back. "Guess that's a no." she said with a devilish grin.

* * *

**Watchtower**

A few hours had passed since their visit with Hardcastle, the four heroes were currently spending time in Question's room. After a little while, Supergirl dozed off on Question's desk, Beacon and Green Arrow were having a quiet conversation with each other, and Question just mutter to himself as he paced back and forth.

Suddenly Supergirl awoke with a gasp. Sheer terror etched on her face as she tried to regain her breath, she gasped again when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and looked into Beacon's blue eyes.

"It's okay, it's okay," assured the Halfa, "you just fell asleep."

"Excuse me if I bore you." Question stated coolly, not looking up from the pictures he was examining.

"Hey, lay off! Will ya?" barked Green Arrow.

"Hardcastle's gone." The others stared at Supergirl, who shrugged. "I just know."

Beacon gave Supergirl's shoulder a gentle squeeze. Supergirl turned to the Halfa, and put her hand on the other girl's; both of them grinned at each other.

The silence was broken when the communicator on desk activated. "Question?" the Martian's voice came through.

"Go ahead." Acknowledged Question.

"Look at your monitor; I'm patch through a live feed."

All four of the heroes looked at the computer screen next to the communicator; it showed a news report from a channel known as the Eagle Network, on the center of the screen showed a picture of a middle-aged man with graying hair.

"A scientist name Gibert Halstrom has been reported missing," continued J'onn, "He's from a biotech company called Nuvo-Gen." Halstrom's picture was enlarged until it took up the whole screen. "It's the man from Kara's dream."

"He really exists." Whispered Supergirl. "Or, did, anyway." She tightened her grip on Beacon's hand.

"And only one network had the story," stated Question.

"Now that's the first lead in this whole business I can wrap my head around." Green Arrow said confidently. "We go to Nuvo-Gen, we find out who this guy is."

"No." countered Question, "First we find the source of the report."

"What for?" questioned Arrow.

"Don't you know who owns the Eagle Network?" Question walked over and tapped his connections board. "The _real _owners?"

Green Arrow sighed as he pitched the bridge of his nose. "Look, why don't we split up; Kara, Beacon and I will go to Nuvo-Gen, and you can go wherever you want." As he moved to leave, he looked at the two girls. "Uh, you two coming?"

Beacon and Supergirl's eyes met at exactly the same time; The Halfa's hand was still on her shoulder, while Supergirl's hand was still gripping hers. Their cheeks flushed red as they let go of each other and rushed out the door. Green Arrow raised an eyebrow at the two before leaving himself.

* * *

Inside _the _steak-house was a reporter for the Eagle Network named Lasser. He was just about to walk out when he was stopped by another patron in the restaurant.

"Hey, Lasser!" the man said, "Saw that bit on the Eagle today; now _that's _reporting!"

"Thanks," Lasser replied in a rather arrogant tone, "you get home safe."

He started to leave again, but the man grabbed his arm. "The thing is, that Nuvo-Gen is real hush-hush kind of joint, and Halstrom didn't have no family to filed a Missing Person's report; between you and me, how'd you hear about this story?"

Lasser shrugged as he gently worked his arm free. "Good old-fashioned legwork Jerry; you should try it sometime." With that said, Lasser exited the restaurant.

Once outside he stepped into a taxi. "Commodore Hotel." The taxi drove off, but didn't get very far, only a couple of blocks before turning into an alley.

"Something wrong?" questioned Lasser.

"Gotta write up my fare report." The driver answered calmy as he started scribbling on a notepad. "What do you think of that corporate, prepackaged pop that kids like these days?"

"_Hate _it." Lasser replied with a mixture of a snort and a laugh.

"Mm-hm" The driver turned on the radio; a corporate, prepackaged song play at maximum volume, and yellow smoke began to spew from his jacket.

"Hey," exclaimed Lasser as he grabbed the driver's shoulder, "I just said…" he froze as the man's outfit turned blue and his face disappeared. He gasped when he realized the he was face to face with The Question. The faceless hero grabbed the front of his shirt as the reporter began to scream.

* * *

**Nuvo-Gen**

The night-watch security guard in the main lobby looked up when he heard the front door open. He grinned a little as the guard for the next shift walked up to the security booth. However his smile faded when he saw that his replacement was a muscular, blonde-haired man.

"Hi," said the man as he held out his hand. "Ollie. I'm filling in."

"What happened to Frank?" the guard asked curiously as he shook Ollie's hand.

"I heard some contest guy showed up at his door; got a free trip to Aruba!"

"Why him and not me?" The off-duty guard scoffed.

"Tell me about it. You have a good one!"

"Good cold one's more like it." The guard put keycard in the slot and opened the door, walking away without a backwards glance.

As the door began to close, Supergirl rushed in. "Free trip to Aruba?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"Had to send Frank somewhere; shame how he dropped his keycard, though."

"Great, now let's get a move on before they find out what we're up to." a voice said seemingly out of nowhere. Ollie jumped and squealed as he flung his lunchbox into the air when Beacon had become visible again, holding his bow and quiver of arrows on her shoulders.

Supergirl caught the lunchbox, while Ollie stood here panting and clutching his chest. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!" he bellowed, "Give me those." He grabbed his equipment and stalked past the Halfa. Beacon and Supergirl snickered at the archer's embarrassment. After Arrow had changed into his costume, the heroes ran down the halls of the building until they reached to company record room. What they failed to notice, was the white-gloved hand slip a keycard through the slot from the outside.

* * *

**Elsewhere: Dark Alley**

"I never heard of Nuvo-Gen, or Halstrom until last night; this girl I've been seeing slipped it to me, said I could run with it." Lasser confessed as Question held him up close and personal.

"The girl," demanded the faceless hero, "tell me more."

"She's just a girl," admitted Lasser plainly, "blonder hair, blue eyes; real farmers-daughter type."

"And a handshake like a vice?" asked Question in a low tone.

"Y-yeah, really strong, how did you…"

"How long have you been seeing her?" Question interrupted.

"She have bad dreams?"

"More like tossing and turning."

"Can't sleep at night…" Question pondered.

A few seconds later, Lasser was thrown out of the taxi onto a pile of trash. The taxi's engine roared to life as Question sped out of the alley.

* * *

"Halstrom was getting drowned in emails from their legal department," Green Arrow said as he typed on one computer, while Supergirl sat at another, with Beacon beside her, leaning towards the screen. "Sounds like they were scared he was gonna blow the whistle on something. Doesn't say what."

After taking a closer look at another file, the archer sat back in amazement. "I don't believe this; that crazy old Hardcastle was right. These guys claim they're splicing heartier tomatoes, but they've really been experimenting with metahuman DNA."

"Not just any DNA," said Supergirl, her voice unsteady. Arrow turned to see Beacon's hand on her shoulder, both of them staring intently at the computer screen. "_My _DNA."

Green Arrow rushed over to see images and video clips of an older version of Supergirl. One of the clips showed her fighting a group of jetpack-wearing mercenaries.

"This folder was marked 'Metropolis Training Exercises'." Supergirl said, her voice becoming more shaky. "It's me."

"Um, a little more mature than you," commented Green Arrow when he saw the older-looking clone, "but I see you point."

"They cloned me." Supergirl realized grimly. "We must have some sort of psychic link; that's why I'm seeing things I didn't do.

"Of course! A clone! It's so obvious!" Supergirl and Green Arrow turned to Beacon. The Halfa had her hand pressed up against her forehead, as some revelation, unbeknownst to the other two, exploded in her head.

"What's obvious?" asked Green Arrow quickly.

"I can explain later." Beacon told them as she lowered her hand. "But right now we gotta..." She jerked head quickly to the door; just in time to see a silhouette run by. Without hesitation, she bolted out of the room. The others exchanged quick looks, and swiftly followed suit. The three heroes ran into a massive, empty room. The floor was covered in large purple, hexagonal plates. As they walked inside, the walls, ceiling, and floor lit up, and after a few seconds, they found themselves in nighttime Metropolis.

"What is this place?" asked Supergirl.

Beacon narrowed her eyes as her holographic interface activated. "We're inside a hologram chamber," the Halfa informed as she looked at Supergirl. "Hard-light constructs." she finished as her interface disappeared.

"Must be a training program." Arrow added.

"_My_ training program."

The heroes looked up to see the clone of Supergirl flying down towards them. After realizing who she was after, Beacon pushed Supergirl aside right before the clone to collided with her. The clone quickly turned around and floated in the air above them, her hands on her hands and her grin looking smug. Supergirl floated up to the same level as her counterpart.

"So, what do you think?" asked Galatea, as she spread her arms, "It's important that you like yourself, and I'm you; just accelerated a few extra years, plus better trained, and I have to say, a heck of a lot smarter."

"You lured us here." Supergirl accused, "After you lackeys couldn't get rid of me at S.T.A.R, you decided to deal with me yourself, on your home turf."

"It's like you're reading my mind," said Galatea, "which is actually the problem, and why you have to die." She cocked back her fist, but before she could throw her punch. Beacon blurred in between the two Kryptonians with her arms were spread out. Both Supergirl and her clone stared the Halfa curiously.

"Wait!" Beacon exclaimed. "We don't have to fight!"

"Rachel, what are you doing?!" Supergirl asked loudly.

Beacon floated closer to the clone, having seemingly ignored Supergirl. Galatea had since lowered her fist, but kept her firm glare on the ghost-girl.

"You don't have to do what they say," Beacon said. "You may be a clone, but you're your own person, and I know there's good in you."

When the clone narrowed her eyes, the Halfa held her hands up in peace. "Look, why don't you come with us? We can talk about this, and the League can figure out how to help you." Galatea widened her eyes, and Supergirl actually gasped.

"Rachel! What's gotten into you?" Supergirl demanded. "Don't you know what she did?"

"Of course I do," the Halfa answered as she looked over her shoulder at the Girl of Steel. "I just want to-"

The Halfa grunted loudly when she was struck by a vicious hay-maker, sending her flying through the air, and crashing into a building."Thanks for the offer," Galatea said, as she smirked at the place where Beacon had crashed into, "but I think I'll pass."

"Rachel!" Supergirl yelled. Then she turned back to her clone, and clinched her fists as she boiled with rage. "You'll pay for that!" she snarled.

She swung her fist at the clone, but the latter lazily shifted out of the way and kneed Supergirl in the stomach. Then the clone punched her into a building. As she recovered from the attack, she saw her clone be engulfed in an explosion; Green Arrow had fired an explosive arrow at her. Unfortunately, it did absolutely nothing. Galatea simply glared at the archer as she fired a blast of heat-vision towards the building directly beside him. Arrow tried to outrun the blast, but was caught in an explosion, rendering him unconscious.

"Arrow!" Supergirl tried to help her friend, but her clone grabbed her cape and flung her onto a car that was parked on the street. Before she could continue, she felt something wrap around her throat and almost pressure on her head and neck.

"Please," Beacon begged, trying to subdue the clone with a headlock. "I'm trying to help." She grunted once again as Galatea elbowed her in her midsection.

"I. Don't. Need." she growled as she reached back and grabbed Beacon's hair. "Your help!" and she flung the Halfa down towards the street below, where she slammed into ground, creating a decently sized crater.

* * *

Supergirl had just recovered in time to see Beacon slam into ground, and then she looked up and saw her clone lift up a car over her head, and throw it at her. She quickly floated into the air to avoid the projectile, which skidded upon landing and crashed into a streetlamp. Supergirl grabbed the fallen streetlamp and swung it like a baseball bat, knocking Galatea through several buildings. Supergirl followed and tried to punch the clone, but she dodged and kicked her back toward street below. As Supergirl slowed her descent, Galatea flew from below and delivered a powerful uppercut. Before Supergirl could recover, she grabbed the front of her shirt, and drove her knee into her stomach, then a hammer-fist in her back. She was able to counter with a punch that Galatea higher in the air, then she sent another blow that sent the clone through another building before finally crashing into the ground.

Meanwhile, Beacon had regained consciousness, but her body ached after damaged she'd received. _Man, Kryptonians are no joke! _she thought. She climbed out of the crater, and saw Green Arrow finally getting back to his feet. Stand right next to him was the Question. After blinking several times, Beacon deduced that he must've entered chamber amongst all the chaos.

"Anything break?" Question asked.

"Just my stride." Green Arrow grunted, the three heroes turned when the heard and saw a building crash into another.

"No, I'm good." Beacon assured. "but I've been better though." she wince as she clutched the small of her back.

"Nap's over," told Question as he walked towards the site, "come on."

* * *

Supergirl slowly tried to get back to her feet, leaning back onto a piece of the building for support. Her costume had been torn, and there were cuts and bruises all over her body. It took a moment for the three Galateas she saw approaching to merge back into one. The clone stood a few feet before Supergirl, looking down at her with contempt.

"Next time," she snarled, "get you own dreams."

"Who do you work for?" Supergirl demanded weakly.

"Really?At the top?" Galatea smirked as she put her fists on her hips, "Even I don't know that. But I do know that I can't work in secret if you keep seeing what I do." Her eyes glowed red as her heat-vision began to charge up. "So, sayonara, sister."

"That's not the only reason, is it?" Galatea turned to see Question, Green Arrow, and Beacon. Supergirl breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her friends were okay, especially Beacon.

"You were setting up this bait even before Supergirl started asking questions." Question continued as he approached the clone, seemingly unafraid of her, "It's because the link both ways, doesn't it? While she was seeing what you were doing, you were feeling her conscience." Galatea turned away, as if trying to block out what he was saying. "That's why couldn't sleep at night. And I'll bet that got in the way of your work."

The faceless hero leaned in closer to the clone. "It bites having someone in your head, doesn't it?"

"You don't know what you're talking about." Galatea tried to deny.

"No?" asked Question, he stepped closer to the clone. "Prove it. Kill me."

Beacon let out a small gasp, while Galatea cocked her fist back. Green Arrow fitted an arrow in the notch of his bow, and Beacon narrowed her eyes as she took a fighting stance. The clone's fist began to shake; she seemed to be hesitating. Before she could make up her mind, Supergirl raised a SUV over her head, and brought it down on top of her clone. She then brought her entire body down on the vehicle, slamming it further into the ground. The Question quickly fled the scene as the car exploded behind him; he knew well enough to not involve himself in super-powered fights.

Beacon, however, flew forward to help. She had tried to get through to the clone peacefully, but now she's forced her hand. If they wanted their questions answered, they'd have to use force first. Beacon swung an elbow at the side of Galatea's face, then quickly grabbed the back of her head and pulled her down as the Halfa brought her knee up. Meanwhile, Supergirl charged forward, holding a steel girder from the previous car. Beacon threw Galatea to her, and Supergirl knocked the clone right back at Beacon. Beacon created three duplicates and one punched Galatea high in the air. Another kicked the clone to the side, and another duplicate grabbed her and punched her stomach. Then she whipped Galatea under her and brought her fist down onto her face, sending the clone back towards the ground. Before she touched down, however, Supergirl swung the girder again, knocking her to the ground.

Galatea slowly got back up to her feet; her costume was shredded, and her body covered in injuries. Supergirl threw the girder away as Beacon, minus her duplicates, landed next to her. Galatea glared as she took a fighting stance, as did her two opponents. As Galatea began to charge, a massive pillar of fire explode from the floor underneath them, knocking all three backwards.

More explosions filled the chamber as the three girls got back to their feet. "NO!" Galatea shouted to some unknown person. "I CAN DO THIS!"

Beacon saw cracks form underneath the clone's feet, and knew another explosion was about to happen. She rushed in to try and save her, but the blast knocked her back, all the Halfa saw was a faint silhouette of the clone, and heard a sickening scream.

"No!" screamed the Halfa.

"It's too late!" yelled Supergirl, "We need to get out of here!"

Beacon shook her head to clear it, and nodded. They flew back to the two men. Beacon grabbed Question up while Supergirl picked up Green Arrow. They all made it out just as Nuvo-Gen exploded, engulfing the building in flames.

* * *

**Watchtower**

A few hours later, after Supergirl had changed into an undamaged costume from her room and the four made a report to the senior members of the League, the four made their way back to Question's room. Supergirl was currently on the phone with Professor Hamilton.

"…We searched what was left of the place, but we never found the clone." She finished.

"Maybe there was nothing to find." Green Arrow suggested.

"Or that's what they want us to think." Question countered gloomily.

"I'm just glad you're okay, Supergirl." Came the concerned voice of Hamilton from the speaker of Question's phone.

"Professor," began Supergirl hesitantly, "to make this clone of me, they would've needed a DNA sample. Is there any chance it came from your lab?"

"No," assured Hamilton almost immediately, "we always destroy genetic material after surgery, it's standard procedure."

Supergirl was silent for a moment. "Okay. Thanks, Professor."

"Give my best to Superman."

"Will do. Bye." She hung up, and then she reached back and placed her hand over the now-familiar weight on her shoulder. She looked up at Beacon, who gave her a reassuring smile.

She turned her face away from the Halfa and closed her eyes for a moment; she just felt safe and secure when Rachel did that. Even though she was nearly indestructible, whenever Rachel puts her hand on her shoulder, it just puts her at ease; like everything was going to be okay. However above all that, she need to know something.

"Rachel," she began as she looked back at the Halfa, "Why did you say those things to her?"

Beacon frown and slid her hand off Supergirl's shoulder. She walked over to the window and stared out onto planet Earth.

"Yeah, about that," added Green Arrow. "Back there you seemed pretty determined to get her on our side."

There was a silent moment, and then Beacon exhaled a long, dragged-out sigh. "Because..." she paused for a second, unsure of herself. "Because one of my mentors, and closest friends was a clone."

"WHAT?!" Green Arrow and Supergirl yelled. Beacon turned to face them, the two of them were in total shock. As for Question, if he was surprised, his faceless mask hid any hint of it.

The Halfa's eyes found the floor. "She was one of the best Guardians in the business, and one of my inspirations for joining the program."

"So you sought to talk to the clone because she reminded you of _her._" deduced Question.

Beacon nodded. "Except, I never saw her as a copy of someone else," she told them. "I've always seen as her own person."

"Okay, but even if you see _this_ clone as a person," Green Arrow began, "she works for the bad guys, why would you try and convince her otherwise?"

"Because she's misunderstood. She doesn't know any better!" Beacon answered rather aggressively. Green Arrow and Supergirl were taken aback by the Halfa's reaction.

"Whoever created her," Beacon continued, "must've been misleading her her whole life. She must think that going up against the League is the right thing to do, but doesn't realize that she's really being used."

"Used? Used for what?" Green Arrow asked.

"This all started because Superman went renegade." The Question hypothesized as he stared at his board again. "They want a superhuman alien on their side if it ever happens again."

Silence filled the room again. Then Supergirl got off her chair and walked up to Beacon.

"Rachel," she began nervously. "Why didn't you tell us from the beginning?"

Beacon and Supergirl locked eyes with each other. "I'm sorry, Kara." Beacon said with quivering eyes. "I didn't know it'd turn out like this, and I was so worried about you that... I never would've thought about it anyway." Her eyes found the floor again, but this time her cheeks were flushed in a shade of red.

Supergirl stared at the girl in front of her for a moment, and then put her hand on her shoulder. When the Halfa looked up, Supergirl gave her a sweet smile. Beacon placed her hand over the Kryptonian's, before smiling back.

* * *

**Smallvile,Kansas**

A flash of light filled the Kent barn as Rachel and Kara appeared; the former was still in her ghost-form. Superman had told his cousin to go home and get some rest. Rachel had volunteered to accompany her, before heading home herself.

As the two walked out of the barn and reached the front door of the house, Kara turned to her friend.

"Thanks for this, Rach," said Kara, "but you really didn't have to escort me home."

"I know I didn't have to," Rachel replied, "but I wanted to."

Kara smiled, which Rachel returned. The two stood in silence for a moment, before Kara spoke up again.

"Well, thanks anyway." She said, "Good night." She turned to open the door.

"Kara, wait." Rachel cut in.

The Krypontian turned back to the Halfa. "Yeah?" she asked softly.

Rachel looked down for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. "Do you remember when I said I could come to you if I had a problem, any at all?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I want you to know that I'll be there for you too. I mean if you want me to." She said it as seriously as she could, but nothing hid the blush that was starting to form on her cheeks.

"Thanks, Rachel." Kara smiled.

"And there's one more thing."

"What is it?"

"I've been think a lot about... _that _day," she began, her blush getting darker, "and I was wondering if you're not doing anything this Saturday, we could hang out and talk, and maybe do some other things…"

Kara's eyes widened as she took in Rachel's words. _Did she just…?_

"Oh, um," she said as she felt her own cheeks grow warm, "really? Like what?"

Rachel swallowed. "I was thinking maybe go to dinner, or take a walk around the beach. It is Florida after all." As she said this, she made an extra effort to look Kara in the eye.

_She _did! Kara realized in her thoughts, _She just asked me out!_

"Um, Kara?" Rachel tilted her head slightly, "You okay?"

Kara realized that she'd been staring at Rachel for several moments, not moving a muscle.

"Uh? Um." She cleared her throat, trying to rebalance herself. However she was having difficulty keeping the smile and blush from appearing on her face. "Sure, I'd love to, Rach."

"Great!" Rachel exclaimed with an equally strong smile and blush on her face. Then what she did next caught Kara by complete surprise; the Halfa leaned in and pressed her lips against her cheek. The kiss only last for a brief moment. "It's a date. See you Saturday." She finished. Then the Halfa floated up into the air, and flew off. Kara stood on the porch for a while, stunned. She smiled as she raised a hand to the spot where Rachel had kissed her. Then she looked up into the sky, and saw Rachel flying gracefully through the air.

* * *

**Unknown Laboratory**

Professor Hamilton walked over to the operating table; there, surrounded by armed military and government officials, laid Supergirl's clone. Her head was heavily bandaged, her body was covered with bruises, and her face spotted two black eyes and a busted lip. The motionless clone was wearing a breathing mask and the pads on her chest were connected to a heartbeat monitor. However despite her steady heartbeat, she wasn't going anywhere for quite some time.

"You rest," said Hamilton softly, and then he cupped her cheek with his hand, "we'll have you fixed up in no time, Galatea."

* * *

**I've made some changes to this chapter. I hope you all could forgive me!**

**Now I'm nearly a hundred percent sure that all of you will figure out who Rachel was talking about, but for the sake of those who don't, I won't spoil it.**

**I'd also like to thank jaguarspot for sending me those suggestions. I'll admit I've honestly never even thought about it that way. And I would be like to suggest that you read ****jaguarspot's story **"Mirrored Reflections". There's only been a couple chapters out so far, but they're very good and I am sure that the story will keep getting better.

**Hope you guys enjoyed everything so far, and as always, I will see you all next time.**

**Hit me up if any of you have any questions, comments, and concerns.**


	10. Chapter 9

**I don't own Justice League or anything from their universe, and sadly I never will.**

Beacon of Justice

Chapter 9

**Nighttime Gotham**

Gotham city is a place known for its widespread crime and corruption. So much so that one could even list them as tourist attractions. However, tonight was unusually quiet as Batman, Beacon, and Wonder Woman stood on top of the roof of a building. The three heroes had been vigilantly watching the National History Museum for hours. Wonder Woman was usually a patient person, but one can only admire a building for so long. Finally, the Amazon let out an exhausted sigh.

"Patience, Princess." Batman said, not taking his eyes away from the museum. "Intergang moves in mysterious ways."

"Tell me about it." Commented Wonder Woman as she leaned onto a stone gargoyle. "What use could they possibly have for the Rosetta Stone?"

"Do we even know what it does?" asked Beacon.

"No," replied the Detective firmly, "but if Intergang is after it; we'll need to keep it from getting into their hands. So in the meantime…"

"We know, Bruce," interrupted the Halfa, "patience."

Today had been a lackluster day for the ghost-girl, Martian Manhunter hadn't assigned any missions for her, and Miami was as quiet as ever. So when Batman and Wonder Woman had announced that they were going for a mission, the Halfa asked, and almost begged, to come with them. At the time, she was glad to finally be doing _something_, but as the hours dragged on, she was beginning to think that maybe this was a mistake.

Wonder Woman looked down onto another part of the street, and took in the many patrons both entering and leaving the Iceberg Lounge. Her eyes were focused on the couples that were either climbing into taxis or walking along the street as they held each other onto each other, all of them seemed completely happy to be in each other's company. Beacon noticed the longing in the Amazon's eyes and smiled inwardly to herself; she couldn't wait for her date with Kara on Saturday. She frowned when she realized that she hadn't even thought of a plan yet.

_Aww great, _she thought, _let's see… we should definitely have dinner; restaurant or stay at home? Mm, restaurant sounds better. Uh, should we go to a movie? Ugh, but there's nothing good out though! Okay, walking on the beach sounds fun, but what about afterwards? Oh! We can go get some ice cream! But what about after that? We could… um… uh…_

"Don't you ever wish you were down there, Bruce?" Beacon snapped out of her thoughts. She noticed that Wonder Woman hadn't taken her eyes off the Lounge.

"I'm down there all I need to be." Batman answered bluntly as he continued to survey the streets.

"Yes, but it's just a job to you. I'm talking about going down there and having some fun."

"Yeah, Bats." Beacon chimed in. "You work harder than any of us, you should cut yourself some slack and relax every once in a while. Who knows? It might do you some good."

Batman looked between the two women for a moment, before turning his attention back on the task at hand. "I don'thave time for fun _or_ to relax."

Beacon rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the street. Wonder Woman just stared at Batman for a moment.

"Not even with someone special?" she asked as she tucked her hair behind her ear. Batman didn't even glance at her. "No, no dating for the Batman."

"I think it might cut into his brooding time." Beacon commented, glancing up at the Amazon. Both of them broke into soft laughter, but they stopped when the Dark Knight turned his head to the older woman.

"One: Dating within the team always leads to disaster." He began. "Two: you're a princess from a society of immortal warriors: I'm a rich kid with issues…_ lots _of issues."

"Oh, come _on_." Beacon said exasperatingly. "Don't be like that."

Batman turned to face the Halfa. "And three: If my enemies knew I had someone special. They wouldn't rest until they'd gotten to me, through her." There was a sound of stone being smashed. They turned to see Wonder Woman standing there with her fist clinched where the stone gargoyle's head used to be.

"Next?" she said dangerously.

"Uh, I don't think you'd need to worry about her, Bats." Beacon pointed out with a sly smile.

Batman turned back to her. "But enough about me, what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about _you_ asking a certain Kryptonian out on a date."

Beacon's eyes grew wide as her mouth dropped opened; her cheeks having turned to the color of red wine. Wait, _what?!_ It didn't make any sense, neither she nor Kara had told anyone about their date, and they were the only ones on the porch that night. So how did-. "H-how'd you know about that?!" she demanded.

Batman just stared at her impassively. "I didn't," he admitted," but I've had my suspicions, and you just confirmed them."

Wonder Woman chuckled, while Beacon glared at the Dark Knight for a moment, before letting out an exasperated sigh. _I suppose I did walk right into that one,_ she thought.

All three heroes turned when the sound of an alarm going off reached their ears. "There!" Batman pointed to a dark figure in an alley. They all moved to spring into action; Batman fired his grapple and launched himself towards the alley.

"Saved by the bell." Wonder Woman remarked as she exchanged looks Beacon, before they flew off after Batman.

* * *

The thief's face was covered by a full-faced mask, but the tight bodysuit did nothing to hide the curves. The thief slammed a crowbar into the notch between the door and its frame, and worked it back and forth to get the door open. She stopped when a batarang struck an electric panel beside the door.

The thief turned and saw Batman, Beacon, and Wonder Woman standing before her. Batman used his signature glare while the Amazon just stood there, somewhat confused.

"Just a common thief." She stated. "What happened to Intergang?"

"J'onn must've gotten a bad tip, it happens." Batman replied, holding out his hand to the thief. "I'll take the crowbar."

The thief smirked. "Whatever you say." Then she threw the crowbar at the Dark Knight, but as soon as she did, it turned into a large snake, and drew out its fangs, ready to sink them into Batman's flesh. Batman managed to dodge the viper, but only just, before it landed and slithered into the shadows. "That trick always wins over big in Egypt."

"I don't think this is a 'common thief' we're dealing with here." Beacon stated the obvious.

"How right you're, young missy." The thief raised her arms, as she did; bright purple sparkles shimmered in the air. When she worked stepped out of the shadows, her black bodysuit was gone. Now she wore a short teal-colored strapless dress with gold trimmings, she wore sleeves that came up to her biceps. With her mask now gone, the thief had long dark purple hair, bright blue eyes, dark-colored lips, and a pair of large golden circular earrings.

"Circe!" exclaimed Wonder Woman as the heroes got into combat stances. "Be careful. She's-"

"Yeah, I've read the Odyssey." Batman interrupted as he threw more batarangs at the sorceress. Circe raised her arm, and in a flash, the batarangs became two doves and quickly flew off.

"That it for you?" she asked arrogantly. Then she grunted when a blue energy beam blasted her off her feet, sending her to the ground. Circe got back to her feet and glared at Beacon. "You insolent little brat!" she scolded.

"There's plenty more where that came from." the Halfa warned, keeping her arm extended.

"What are you doing here, witch?" demanded Wonder Woman. "I thought you were banished."

Circe turned to the Amazon, her smirk returning to her face. "They needed more space down below, so they paroled me. "She informed. "Of course I had to promise to leave your Mommy Dearest alone before they'd let me out."

"Mother sent her to the pits of Tartarus." Wonder Woman told her teammates. "Circe had a nasty habit of turning innocent people into animals."

"I'm real good at it too." She boasted, arching her smirk up higher.

"So I've read." Batman chimed in. "Let's not give her another chance." The three heroes charged at the sorceress, but Circe just raised her arm again and created a shockwave that blasted them back to a wall. Wonder Woman was the first to recover and charged at her again. Before she got even close, the Amazon was grabbed by a giant concrete hand that emerged from the building behind her. She tried desperately to escape its grasp, but she couldn't no matter how hard she struggled.

"I promised to leave your mother alone, little princess," said Circe as she approached Wonder Woman, "but nobody said anything about you. Rest assured, after I get done with you-"

Before Circe could form her next words, she was sent flying further down the alley. Circe looked up and saw Beacon floating above her.

"Do you even know _who _you're messing with?" she snarled.

The Halfa landed a few feet in front her. "I know I can't just let you do whatever you want."

"Silly, silly child." the sorceress said as she got back to her feet, and smirked once more. "I'd love to see you try and stop me." This time, raising both her arms, Circe shot two blasts purple energy at the Halfa. Beacon ducked to avoid them since it was faster than turning intangible. After the blasts had soared past her head, Beacon got back to her feet.

"Nice move," commented Circe, "but I wasn't aiming for you."

* * *

Beacon turned around and saw two dumpsters being engulfed in purple energy. One second later, one dumpster floated into the air, and landed soundlessly on top of another. Then the metal began to warp and twist, until it became a creature standing about fifteen feet tall, and reeking with foul stenches. The monster let out a vicious roar, blowing more putrid smells in Beacon's direction. If the Halfa had been in her human form, she would've vomited right then and there.

"Get her, boy." Circe ordered with a light chuckle. The metal monster immediately slammed its arm down at the Halfa, who dove of the way. Thinking fast, she shot an energy blast directly at its chest, causing the creature to stumble back a few feet. After the monster had regained its footing, it reached into its mouth, and pulled out a large black plastic bag. Beacon didn't even want to think about what could possibly be inside. The monster threw the bag at the Halfa, who now had enough time to turn intangible. The bag went right through her and exploded into the wall behind her, leaving a wet brownish-green mess.

"Ew!" exclaimed Beacon as she examined the wall, and then turned back to the monster. "You really shouldn't litter." With that, she kicked off the ground, and flew towards the monster.

Batman had recovered enough to see Wonder Woman still struggling against the giant hand holding her off the ground. He also noticed Circe approaching her; he sprung back up, and threw two more batarangs at the sorceress. Unfortunately, Circe blasted the projectiles and the Dark Knight backwards, the latter slammed hard onto the ground.

With a wicked smirk, Circe turned to face Wonder Woman. "Now where was I?" she began. "Ah, that's right, after I get done with you: Hippolyta won't want you for a daughter, and your pointy-eared boyfriend and that good-for-nothing teenager won't want you for anything." She raised her palm inches from Wonder Woman's face as it began to glow again. Then a white light filled the alley. Batman lifted himself off the ground, he only had time to gasp before the light became too blinding and he had to shield his eyes.

* * *

When he reopened them, he saw no sign of Circe. The sorceress must've escaped in that span of time. Although at the moment, that's not what he was concerned about.

"Diana?" he asked. No response. "Diana!" he called loudly. Then something brushed up against his leg. He glanced downwards and widened his eyes.

Then the sound of metal slamming onto concrete jolted his gaze back upwards. Floating a few feet in the air was Beacon; her bright blue eyes were fixed to the pile of scape metal directly underneath her. After a moment, she found the Dark Knight, and quickly descended back towards the ground.

"Batman," she called out as she approached him. "You alright? Where's-" she looked down at Batman's feet and gasped. There, standing on its four legs, was a bright-pink pig, but what made the Halfa widen her eyes were the two silver bracelets on its forelegs.

"Oh no! Diana!" she crouched down and took a closer look at the transformed Amazon. The pig wrinkled its nares at Beacon, and then violently jerked its head to the side before walking away from her.

The Halfa blinked for a moment before examining her body. Nearly every inch of her was covered in dirt and grime, and upon taking a sniff; her nostrils flared, and her vision became blurry.

"Ugh," she groaned in disgust, and then let a small awkward laugh. "Sorry, I forgot." Beacon floated up in the air, and a split second later, seemingly vanished from sight. The muck and scum from her fight with Circe's monster began to slowly slide downward, creating a pile on the ground. With all the disgusting materials gone, the Halfa become solid once again. "Much better." She commented as she examined her now clean clothes.

"This must be the extent of Circe's revenge." Batman hypothesized as he studied the transformed Amazon, who was currently sniffing various trash-hemps throughout the alley.

"Why didn't she just kill her?" Beacon asked as she landed next to the Dark Knight.

"In a way, this is worse than death." Replied Batman grimly.

Beacon stared at Diana as she knocked over a trashcan, and started to rummage inside rather enthusiastically. "You're right. Humiliation is _way _worse." She agreed before turning back to Batman. "So what do we do now?"

Batman was silent as he rubbed his chin. "Unfortunately, there's not much we _can _do," he looked at Beacon, "unless you know anything about magic."

"Sorry," Beacon shrugged, "not exactly my forte, but give me a second." As she cupped her chin in her fingers, a thought surfaced in her mind. _Aw man, Ari would kill me if I said I didn't know anything._

"We'll either need to go after Circe," the Halfa added, "or we'll need to find another magician."

Batman turned and surveyed the alley. "Doesn't look like she left any trail for us to follow."

"So we're stuck with the second option." Beacon finished.

Batman nodded. "And I know just the one." He pressed a button on his gauntlet, and then a roaring sound of an engine could be heard from down the street, growing louder by the second. A few moments later, a sleek, black car that's completely decked out with armored-plating sped into the alley, stopping directly in front of the two heroes. This made it the third time that Beacon had seen this car, and the first time that she saw it actually leave the Batcave. Batman and Beacon walked towards the Batmobile, with the latter holding Diana. When the cockpit opened, Beacon turned and eyed Batman curiously.

"Sorry, only seats two." The Detective stated matter-of-factly. The Halfa smirked as she floated over the cockpit, and gently put Diana down on the passenger seat. Then she turned back to face Batman.

"That's okay," she shrugged. "I wouldn't want to intrude on the two of you."

"Funny," Batman commented, but his tone said otherwise. He climbed into the driver's side and closed the cockpit, while Beacon vanished from sight. The Batmobile's headlights lit up as it backed out of the alley. Then the rear thrusters exploded, launching the armored car down the street, the roar of its engine echoing off the walls of the surrounding buildings.

* * *

**Nearby stage theater**

A man's head rested in an open box as he looked out onto the audience with a winning smile. Directly next to him in larger boxes, were his body and legs. A young woman walked up next to the box that housed the man's head, and looked out onto the packed theater. She had a slender, voluptuous figure, with long black hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a black top hat, a white buttoned-up blouse with a collar and bow-tie beneath a small tail tailcoat; a pair of small black tights, with dark-colored nylon stockings, and black Stiletto heels.

"My poor assistant," Zatanna Zatara remarked with excellent showmanship. "He's fallen all to pieces. Let's see if I can help him pull himself together." As she walked past her assistant's body parts, she blocked them from view by sliding down the propped-up slot on each of the boxes. Then she placed each one on top of each other, with the smallest box, naturally, at the very top. Zatanna then pulled a thin, black wand seemingly out of nowhere, and gave it an exaggerated flick. Tiny purple sparks appeared as the wand traced through the air, before Zatanna aimed one last flick at the smallest box.

The box opened, but the man's head was gone. Instead, a pair of black boots appeared in its place. "Oops." Zatanna put her hand over her mouth as the audience broke into laughter. She then flicked open the other two boxes. Revealing her now piece-together, but upside down assistant, the assistant walked onto the stage on his hands while the audience oh'd and ah'd with fascination, and then applauded when the assistant got back to his feet, and gave a courteous bow.

"Thank you." smiled Zatanna, as her assistant pushed the boxes off stage. "You've been a wonderful audience, and for my final illusion: I would like to pull a rabbit out of my hat."

She took off her top hat and gestured to it while the audience murmured amongst each other. "Trust me," Zatanna added, "it isn't as easy as everybody thinks." She reached into her hat as a drumroll filled the theater. "Come on Bugs. Where are you?" she asked as she continued rummage, and then she sunk her whole forearm into the top hat.

In that instant, a giant hand appeared from the ceiling. Members of the audience screamed as they sprung to feet, trying to avoid getting grabbed. The hand closed its fingers around a middle-age man, and pulled him into the ceiling, where they both vanished from sight. Back on stage, Zatanna pulled her arm out of her hat. Resting on her hand was the man from the audience, except now he was small enough to fit in her palm. "Well, you're not as furry," she leaned her face closer to the small man, "but you're just as cute."

She placed the small man on the stage, and gave her wand another flick. "kcab ot lamron." She chanted. In a flash of light, the man grew back to his original size. The man looked absolutely stunned as the audience stood on their feet, and cheered for Zatanna. The magician took off her hat again and took a lingering bow while the audience applauded, whistled, and threw roses onto the stage.

* * *

After the show, Zatanna walked backstage, and entered her dressing room. Where she took off her blazer and blouse, and pulled on a more comfortable robe. She sat down on the make-up table with a steaming mug of coffee in her hand. A crystal ball sat directly in front of her as she sipped the thin, dark drink. The cloudiness of the ball vanished as it showed a moving image of her assistant stepping into a large vertical box. Afterwards, the Zatanna in the crystal ball closed the box, and spun it in place twice. Then she pulled out her wand, gave it a swish and flick, and reopened the box; revealing a female assistant in the man's place. The illusion had gathered wondrous applause during the show, but Zatanna was watching with a critical eye.

"Hmm, a little slow on the switch." She pointed out loud to no one in particular. "Gotta watch that."

The crystal ball blurred out of focus when Zatanna saw a shadow appear over it. She turned and saw the brooding face that belonged to none other than Batman. Standing next to him was Beacon, the white-hair teenage girl that she had met on Initiation day. Back then, the young girl seemed a little nervous when she was conversing with her, but out of common courtesy, she didn't push the subject.

"What was it, some kind of hologram?" Batman asked. "Or was it the real thing?"

Beacon raised an eyebrow at the Detective. "Um, you _do_ know that magicians aren't supposed to reveal their secrets, right? That's kind of their trademark." Batman ignored her.

Zatanna gave a small chuckle. "It's called sorcery, Bruce." she revealed. "Usually I play it straight, but for the big closer I throw in any little _dazzle_." As she finished, bright blue sparkles blinked out of her fingertips.

"Well, however you played it; I thought your show was great, Zatanna." Beacon complimented.

"Thank you," the magicians replied with a smile, "but please, call me 'Z'." The Halfa nodded as she smiled in return. Then Zatanna turned to address Batman, "but enough about my secrets. What have you been up to? We haven't seen each other in so long."

"Can we discuss that later? " Batman asked in his usual no-nonsense tone. "Someone's in trouble."

"Who?" Zatanna frowned. "What kind of trouble?"

"Well…" Batman began, rather uncomfortably.

"It's Diana," Beacon stepped in. "She's had a spell cast on her."

"By who?" asked Zatanna.

"I think you should see for yourself." Batman suggested after finding his words.

* * *

After few minutes later, Zatanna, now dressed in her usual attire, minus the hat, followed Batman and Beacon out the back of the building, where the Batmobile was parked. Batman pulled out a remote and pressed the button. The cockpit opened, revealing the pig sitting on the passenger seat. The animal looked back and forth between the three curiously.

"Ew," Zatanna commented with a raised eyebrow, and then rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Circe, huh? It was all over the mystic Ethernet that she'd made parole. I'll see what I can do."

"We should bring her inside," suggested Beacon, "it would attract less attention."

"Good idea," Zatanna agreed, "Come on."

Zatanna walked back inside the building, as she left, Beacon turned to Batman. "You want to carry her or should I?"

Batman narrowed his eyes, then swiftly stalked back inside. "Just get her inside."

The Halfa reached inside the Batmobile, and gently picked Diana up; the Amazon gave a small squeal as she did so. "Sorry, Diana." She said softly. "Can't have you running off." With that, she reentered the building, making sure to close the door behind her.

Back in the dressing room, the three heroes watched as Diana devoured the fruit from the basket that Zatanna had conjured with her magic. The transfigured Amazon was eating as if she had been starving for days. Diana's attention was diverted from her meal when blue shimmers began to envelope her body.

"Lleps eb nekorb." Zatanna recited. The blue shimmers disappeared, but nothing happened. Diana stared at the magician for a moment, before turning back to her food. Zatanna blinked for a second before trying again, but her spell yielded the same result. She tapped her chin before waving her wand again.

"anaiD, emoceb namuh." A bright light flashed for the tip of Zatanna's wand, but Diana just continued munching her on her food.

"Well, I've given it my best shots." Zatanna gave up as Batman knelt down to rub the pig's back. "I guess my powers ran a distant second to those of a goddess. We could call in one of the other lead magicians; Doctor Fate, maybe."

"No," Batman forbade immediately. The magician was startled by his sudden outburst. Realizing this, Batman eased up a little. "I mean, let's keep this between us."

"But why?" questioned Zatanna. "If there is a chance to help Diana, shouldn't we tell -"her voice trailed off when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Beacon looking at her. The Halfa then whipped her eyes back and forth between the magician and the Dark Knight as he rubbed the pig more thoroughly.

"Oh," Zatanna figured out. "Wait, wait. You and her, are you two-?"

"Just good friends." Batman interrupted as he got back to his feet.

"Or so he says." Beacon retorted while Zatanna approached him.

"No," Zatanna denied with a small laugh, "you and _I _are just good friends. There's something more between you and Diana."

"Well," Batman looked away as spoke in a low to tone, "maybe there was."

"Don't worry, Bruce." Beacon reassured. "We'll everything we can help. " Zatanna put a hand on Batman's shoulder, who gave both women a very slight nod.

Zatanna turned and walked back towards her crystal ball. "But I'm beginning to think that only Circe can turn our chubby friend here back into Wonder Woman." She leaned closer, and watched as the smoke swirled endlessly inside the ball. "And Lord only knows where she is right now."

"Maybe there is something we can do." Beacon announced after a moment of silence. The older heroes turned to face her.

"Well, if you've got any ideas," Zatanna said. "We're all ears."

"We can try using a locator spell," the Halfa proposed, "I don't know how it's done here exactly, but I do know that we'll basically need some magical artifacts, some raw ingredients, some candles, and a quiet place to work." As she ran down the list, she marked off each item by extending her fingers.

"Wow," Zatanna smiled as she looked at younger girl, amazed with her knowledge of the mystic arts. "I'm impressed. You sure know your magic."

Beacon's cheeks flushed a little at the compliment. "Thanks," She said gratefully, but then her smile faded as she stared at the floor, "but I'm not an expert. My old girlfriend was a magic-user. So during our time together I… picked up a few things."

Zatanna frowned, as she took in the Halfa's words. Their first meeting on the Watchtower must have caused some unpleasant memories to resurface. However, before the magician could go any further, Batman addressed her.

"Can we find what she said here in Gotham?"

"Yes," confirmed Zatanna, "and I know just where to get them." With she walked out of the dressing room. Beacon followed her, but stopped when she reached the doorframe. She turned back and looked Batman right in the eye.

"_You're _carrying her this time." She smirked, and then walked out.

Batman looked at Diana, who stared back. Then the Dark Knight reached down and lifted the transformed Leaguer off her feet.

* * *

A short ride… and flight later, the heroes entered a small store, which was surprisingly still open this late at night. On the shelves were beakers filled with various brightly colored liquids, dried ingredients ranging from roots to various fungi filled the jars the rest along the other shelves. There were also books written in various languages, both current and seemingly extinct, as well as mysterious looking items made from gold, silver, and an assortment of other metals. Lastly, on display were crystal balls ranging from the size of an apple, to the size of a basketball.

Zatanna was currently having a rather difficult conversation with the shopkeeper. The owner was a small elderly man who had gray hair, but none of it was on the top. He had dark eyes, thick gray eyebrows, a large nose, and large ears.

"Come on, Sid, are you going to sell me the Chimera scale or not?" Zatanna demanded of the shopkeeper.

Sid looked at the magician, slightly irritated. "You know the rules," he said matter-of-factly, "the elements of magic always come at a price, and I don't take cash or plastic." He finished firmly.

Zatanna held up to her hands in exasperation. "So what do you _want_?"

Sid's eyes looked away from Zatanna, and he furrowed his bushy brows angrily. "Hey, is that thing housebroken?" He pointed an accusing finger somewhere behind the heroes. They turned to see Diana ransacking a cardboard box, and then gnawing at a piece of fabric.

"I'll take care of her," Batman volunteered. After he walked away, the two other heroes turned back to Sid.

"Now, about that final ingredient I need for my locator spell." Zatanna began.

Sid stared at the magician for a moment, and then expressed a crafty smirk.

"It's all yours for one silver good-luck fin; mid-Ching dynasty, if you please."

"What?!" Zatanna exclaimed. "That is robbery!

"What robbery?" The shopkeeper questioned, feigning innocence. "I am giving it to you at cost."

"It's a total rip." Zatanna pointed an accusing finger at Sid. "I could conjure it up for nothing."

"Try it." Sid dared. "Chimera scale is nearly impossible to get, by magic or not." He placed his hand over his chest. "And I'm this dimension's only suppler."

Beacon had to fight the urge not to raise an eyebrow. From what she had read, chimeras can be extremely vicious. So how could such an old man even get his hands on one of its scales? Let alone be the only supplier in this dimension. However, she ultimately decided to remain indifferent; she'd learned a lot time ago to not underestimate anything based solely on their appearance. The Halfa turned to Zatanna. "Looks like we don't have much of a choice."

Zatanna sighed through her nose as she glared at Sid. "Okay, you win." Then she held up her hand. "esrup raeppa." She chanted. In a shimmer of light, a small black coin purse appeared on her palm. She rummaged inside for a moment, and then took out a large white Chinese coin. She gave it to Sid, who examined it admiringly.

"Thank you," he smiled as he stowed the coin in his pocket. Then he walked over to one of the shelves behind him, and pulled a large scale that looked like it belonged to a snake.

* * *

Meanwhile, Batman had finally calm Diana down. As she sat on the floor, the Detective gently hooked a rope around the Diana's neck, and then pulled on it until it was snug.

"We'll be done here soon." Batman assured softly as he rubbed Diana's head. The three heroes and the shopkeeper walked over to a nearby roundtable, placed directly in the center was a three candled candelabra. As they gathered around the table, Zatanna and Sid placed the chimera scale down, as well as a small wrinkled hand, a silver metal ankh, and plate of white powder, and a small stuffed doll.

After the ingredients were set, a stream of blue sparkles shot out for Zatanna's extended finger, igniting the three candles. Then she closed her eyes and began her in enchantment.

"I call upon the spirits of earth and air to reveal our enemy and make her whereabouts known." She opened her eyes and looked at Batman and Beacon. "This invocation works better fronts than backwards."

"Whatever." Dismissed Batman.

"Works for me." Beacon said at the same time while she shrugged.

As Zatanna closed her eyes again, streams of blue energy swirled around all of them, gaining more speed by the second. While over at the opposite end of the store, Diana's eyes widened as she stared at what was unfolding in front of her. She brought her mouth down on the rope holding in place, and started to chew frantically.

"Circe," Zatanna commanded, "show yourself." As she finished, the blue sparkles erupted into a pillar of energy. The light was so intense that Beacon, Batman, and Sid had to back away slightly and shield their eyes. The pillar roared upwards before exploding in a puff of blue smoke. Zatanna cleared the smoke by waving her hat back and forth.

"Well, that was a lot of nothing!" barked the magician.

"Circe must be too powerful for the spell to detect." Beacon deduced.

"Then there's not much anybody can do." Sid shrugged.

"Then what was the point of all this?" questioned Zatanna irritably. Then she rounded on the shopkeeper. "Give me my coin back." She held out her hand expectantly.

"Sorry, kid." Sid smirked. "No refunds."

"You slimy little-"

"Zatanna! Beacon!" She and the Halfa turned and looked at Batman, who pointed at the opened door. "She's gone!"

Without hesitation, the three heroes bolted out the door. Before leaving the store, Zatanna whipped around to see Sid standing there admiring _her _coin. She glared at him as she raised her hand.

"Dnufer." In a puff of smoke, the coin vanished from Sid's fingers and reappeared in Zatanna's. However, before the magician could gloat any further, a black gloved hand grabbed her shoulder, and pulled her out of the store.

* * *

**Gotham Zoo**

Batman, Beacon, and Zatanna had been searching up and down Gotham for the missing Diana, but the transformed Leaguer had managed to elude them. Beacon had tried to find Diana by conducting an aerial search, but looking over an entire city for one small four-legged animal was overwhelming. After a few hours, Batman called for a regroup so they could discuss a different plan.

Some of the animals in the zoo had awoken from their slumber when the three heroes met up again. When they realized that the heroes were no threat, the animals laid their heads back down, and closed their eyes once more. Zatanna walked over to a bench and sat down. Then the magician slipped off one of heels, and rubbed the sole of her foot.

"You know," Beacon began, causing Zatanna to look at her. "I love heels as much as the next girl, but I don't think they're the best in this situation."

Zatanna gave the Halfa a feeble smile, and shrugged. "Meh, I've gotten used to it." Beacon shrugged in return, having found no argument against that logic. The magician put her shoe back on, and turned to Batman, who had his back to them as he stared into some unknown distance. "Well, I guess that's it." Zatanna continued, "From mud-hole to sty; we've looked everywhere."

Batman looked over his shoulder, and when he spoke, there was no mistaking the irritability in his voice. "Obviously we haven't, because we haven't found her yet." He then clinched his jaw, and turned away from them.

"Hey, don't get snippy with me!" Zatanna scolded. "How many other girls would go this far out of their way for a cold, insensitive-"she stopped when Beacon put a hand on her shoulder.

"Z, that's not helping," said the Halfa, then she turned her head and looked at Batman, "and Batman, we're all worried about Diana. We just need a new-" She furrowed her brows and jerked her head to the tree above her and Zatanna. "Who are you?" she asked in an accusatory tone. Before Zatanna could look up as well, a figure hopped out of the three and landed on the bench. The figure was a muscular man who wore a mask reassembling that of a luchador, with blacked-out eye sockets, and triangular points. He also wore small gold tights underneath a red and white striped tarp around his lower body, and red and gold fur boots. Besides all that, the man didn't wear anything else.

"Yo, Bats." He greeted. Zatanna gave a small yelp and jumped off the bench.

"Relax," told Batman indifferently, "He's one of us."

"B'wana Beast." The man said holding out his hand to the two young women. Beacon and Zatanna took turns slowly shaking his hand. "How're you doin'." B'wana Beast said to the magician.

Zatanna quickly jerked her hand out of his grasp, and put them on her hips. "My legs are fine, as is the rest of me." She then pointed to her face. "Up here."

"Whoa," B'wana Beast exclaimed in pretend fear. "She's got the fire of the cheetah in her." He then leaned closer to Zatanna and made a loud purring noise. Beacon saw the magician's discomfort, and decided to step in.

"A little too close there, pal." She said as she placed a hand on his chest, and gently pushed him back.

B'wana Beast held up his hands in peace. "Relax there, young tigress. I was just fooling around." He then gave the Halfa a rather smug grin, causing her to reel her head back.

"Uh," Zatanna began as she looked at Batman, "why are you doing this to us?"

"Apart from being an expert tracker, he can communicate with animals." The Dark Knight stated as he approached the other man. "I called him to help search."

The two women backed always, eagerly wanting to get some distance from the creepy hero. "We're looking for a lost pig," Batman told Beast, "pink, 60 pounds, wearing two silver bracelets." He then lowered his voice slightly at his next words. "Used to be Wonder Woman."

"Right on," Beast replied. He then jerked a thumb behind him. "I'll yank in some of the other guys."

Batman however, walked even closer to him. "Let's keep the circle small," he traced a circle in the air with his finger, "_very _small."

B'wana Beast winked, and then made a clicking noise as he pointed at the Detective. Afterwards, he sped off, jumping out of the zoo in various animalistic natures.

"Well, that was a thing." Beacon commented.

Batman narrowed his eyes, and then whirled around. "Let's move." He ordered as he walked. Zatanna and Beacon exchanged looks with each other before walking after the Dark Knight.

* * *

While having more hands on deck was generally helpful, it wasn't so in this case. The heroes were no closer to finding Diana than they had been before. B'wanna Beast had in fact enlisted more help for other heroes, such as Red Tornado, Elongated Man, and the Crimson Avenger. They each searched their own sectors of Gotham, either calling for the lost Leaguer, or handing out 'missing' flyers to any passers-by. The heroes thought they were getting a lucky break when an aging man had said that he had seen the pig in the picture. However their hopes were crushed when the man had told his wife that the heroes were looking for her.

A few more hours in, as B'wanna Beast surveyed the street while hanging from a light post. The animal-themed hero saw a streak of pink race past the corner of his eye. He jerked his head quickly to see a small pig that completely matched Batman's description.

"Yo, Wonder Pig!" He yelled as he hopped from his post. He hopped along the street on all fours as he chased Diana. The transformed Amazon must've either ignored him or failed to hear him, because she just continued to run down the block until she turned in to an alley to avoid an on-coming semi-truck.

After Beast jumped over the truck, and followed Diana to the alley. He pressed the button on the communicator in his ear. "Bats, Beast." He called. "Got a fix on your girl."

Several miles away, the Batmobile zoomed along another street. Batman kept his eyes locked firmly on the road.

"Good work." Was all he said.

"I'll have her ready for pick up in…" Beast's voice was cut off; Zatanna looked at the batmobile's speakers curiously before he spoke again. "Yeah, look Bats. I think I might've jumped the gun when I said "I found the pig."

"Keep looking," Batman ordered immediately, "Zatanna, Beacon, and I are going after Circe."

"How? Zatanna raised an eyebrow at the Dark Knight. "The locator spell didn't work."

"It's time for one of my tricks," Batman told her, "we need a snitch." Zatanna just stared at her friend, having no idea where this was headed. Batman made a turn at the end of the street, and floored the accelerator when he reached the highway.

* * *

**Dark Cave**

While the average cave had stalactites and stalagmites, the cave that Batman, Beacon, and Zatanna were in had a very eerie feel to it, and the distorted stone faces that were carved into the cave walls did nothing to help the issue. The three heroes were standing on the edge of bank with another woman; her long blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail. She wore a white toga, and had a blindfold over eyes. In her right hand was an ancient looking golden scale, and in her left was a polished sword.

"Thank you for setting this up," Zatanna said to her.

"Please," replied Themis, "your League has done much good in my name. When you summoned me, how could I refuse?"

At that moment, Beacon shivered slightly when she felt a chill at the bottom of her spine. However, it lingered as it traveled up her back, the coldness growing more intense as it spread throughout her body. The cold finally made its way to the Halfa's throat, and as she gasped, a trail of bright blue vapor escaped from her mouth.

"Beacon?" Zatanna eyed her with concern. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah," the Halfa answered as she looked at the three other adults. "My ghost-sense just went off."

"Your what?" Batman asked.

"_Ghost _sense." Beacon repeated. "It's an ability I have to detect ghostly presences."

"Well, Tartarus _is _in the realm of the Underworld." Themis explained.

The four of them turned when the water made a sound. "Here comes our stoolie." Batman stated.

Approaching them were two figures wearing dark hooded cloaks on a small row boat. One figure sat down while the other stood behind and rowed the boat forward, on the hilt of the rower's oar was a small lantern that illuminated the way. Zatanna held out three blindfolds, Beacon and Batman both took one.

"Don't look at her directly." advised Themis, as the three heroes wrapped their blindfolds around their heads to cover their eyes. Shortly after, the boat pulled onto the bank. The sitting figure climbed out of the boat, and then pulled off her hood; revealing a woman with scales for skin, yellow eyes with vertical slits, and live green snakes instead of hair. The rattling the snakes were enough to set Beacon on edge.

"Medusa," Themis greeted, "you have chance to earn leniency; _if _you help our visitors. You were Circe's cellmate, weren't you?"

Medusa looked at blindfolded blonde. "C-girl and me did some time together back in the Pit of Eternal Torment." She informed in a very croaky voice. "That's where they hang you by your ankles and weasel's come each night to eat your fingers." Beacon and Zatanna jerked back slightly as the horrid image was painted into their minds.

"They grow back the next day, but trust me," Medusa continued, "it gets old real quick."

"Uh," Beacon began, "we _really _didn't need to know that."

"Yeah?" Medusa quipped. "Well, now you know anyway. Nothing much you can do about it, sweetie."

"But did she ever mention Hippolyta?" Zatanna chimed-in, wanting to be done with this conversation.

Medusa turned to the magician. "Are you kidding?" she asked exasperatedly. "Hippolyta, _Hippolyta_, all the time Hippolyta, 'When I get my hands on her.', Yadi-yadi-yada." She finished her last words waving her hand back and forth.

"That much we know." Batman said. "We're wasting our time." The three moved to turn back.

"Wait, wait!" Medusa begged; the heroes turned back around to listen to watch she had to tell them. "There was one other thing. 'Circe' was always saying she wanted to headline at the amphitheater."

Batman, Beacon, and Zatanna just 'stared' at her. "The amphitheater? On Myknonos, duh!" She then expressed a wicked smile that the other couldn't see. "Seems 'Circe' was wicked jealous of her cousins the Sirens, and _swore_ she'd someday get her turn on the band stand." She held her hand up in an informing fashion. "Sophocles got his start there, Aristophanes, all the big names. You know those statues at the entrance? _Mine_." She finished as she put a hand over her chest.

Themis raised her scale, and after a moment, it leaned towards the right. "Thank you, Medusa." She said. "And know that you've earned 300 years off your sentence."

"Freedom in 4010. Ring-a-ding-ding!" Medusa calculated with sarcasm as she twirled her finger in a circular motion. She turned around and climbed back on the boat. After she sat down, the rower then held his out expectantly.

"Uh, there's a small service charge." Themis told the heroes. Batman reached into a compartment in his utility belt, pulled out two pennies, and handed them to the rower. The latter put the coins in his pocket, and pushed the boat forward.

"When you see Circe," Medusa yelled, "tell her I want my curling iron back!" After that, the two figures vanished from sight. The three heroes took off their blindfolds and moved to exit the cave. Beacon however, stayed put.

"Thank you again for your help, ma'am." Beacon said to Themis gratefully.

Themis smiled. "It is my pleasure, child. And good luck to you."

"Thank you." Repeated the Halfa, then she swiftly turned to follow Batman and Zatanna.

* * *

**Gotham City; local Butchery**

"Here piggy, piggy." a rather large butcher with a full mustache and beard called. He was just spending his shift reading a newspaper when a pig escaped and ran across his field of vision. The butcher immediately gave chase, and had tried to subdue the runaway swine, but for some unfathomable reason; this pig was strong enough to drag him across a long stretch of the butchery floor. After realizing that there was no way to catch the pig with his hands, the butcher went to his locker, and pulled out a double-barreled shotgun to assist him.

It only took him several minutes with a flashlight to find the pig hiding, or at least trying to hide, in a mountain of barrels. When the light beam hit the pig's eyes; the animal bolted, wanting nothing more than to get further away from the arm butcher. The pig was so focused on running that it didn't see that it had run into another mountain of barrels.

Having finally cornered the pig, a smirk grace the butcher's face as he pumped back the hand grip in his shotgun, and then aimed it directly at the animal.

"Say good night, 'pork chop'." The butcher looked down the sight, and pulled the trigger. A loud boom erupted throughout the slaughterhouse as the shell shot towards the pig. The animal instinctively crossed it forelegs in front of it, and deflected the shot with one of its two silver bracelets. The butcher was completely flabbergasted by what he had just witnessed, but after shaking his head to clear it; he fired another shot. The pig wasted no time and quickly ran away to avoid the deadly shell, causing it to hit one of the barrels. The shot caused the barrels to tether this way and that, before all of them fell on top of the butcher.

* * *

**Greece**

A bright blue puff of smoked flashed In the middle of a dark clearing. As the thick gas began to disperse, Batman, Beacon, and Zatanna walked up to an open entrance that was flanked by several large statues. The statues weren't that pleasing to look at, as their subject matter were mostly men and women seemingly looking away in fear.

"You have to admit," said Zatanna, "Medusa does good work."

"At least she's consistent," Beacon commented on how nearly all the statues had the victims trying to shield their faces from their then-inevitable doom.

"Let's move," Batman instructed, and then bolted into the entrance. Beacon rose into the air and swiftly followed the Dark Knight. Zatanna was right behind them, taking great care to hold on to her top hat.

Inside the amphitheater, one single stage was set up to in front of the many gentlemen that were sitting at their draped-over dinner tables. The men were unanimously applauding for tonight's entertainment. The woman standing on stage had performed numerous musical numbers, and every single one had the same level of perfection.

"Thank you, thank you. You've all be so kind to be tonight." Circe told her audience as she stood there in her formfitting, full-length, red strapless gown, and arm-length gloves. "You know my cousins; the Sirens never thought I could sing. Really, they thought the all that with 'charm the sailors' routine, but I'm showing them, aren't I?"

The men sitting at their tables just stared at the sorceress, not responding either from fear or confusion. Either way, the theater was so silent; one could hear another's heartbeat. Circe glared at the men dangerously, and almost immediately, the applause rocked the place again.

"Oh! Thank you, I love you all!" she said as she spread her arms. As the applause died down again, Circe leaned closer to the microphone. "Are there any requests?"

"stcejbo kcatta ecriC!"

Circe looked confused at the strange words. "I'm not sure I know that one." She gasped when she saw the table flying directly at her. It shattered upon hitting her body, but it did no physical damage to the sorceress. She glared down into the audience, and saw the three heroes. Zatanna lifted another table with her wand, and slammed it at her. However once again it did no damage.

"Insolent trickster!" Circe growled, "You dare to strike-"she was interrupted when a chair collided with her back. "You dare to strike-"she was struck by a blast of energy to her chest, making her stumble back a little. "You dare to strike-"A tablecloth flew in for the side to smother the sorceress, but this only added to her fury. "QUIT IT!" she roared as she yanked it off her, but then she widened her eyes. "Oh, no." she didn't even try to avoid the grand piano that struck her and blew her further back the stage.

As the heroes approached the stage, the piano began to glow with purple energy, and it exploded into a giant cloud of green smoke. As the smoke fade, Circe was floating above them, wearing her usual teal outfit. The sorceress first glared at the heroes in a fit of rage, and then turned to the group of men behind her.

"Well?" Circe demanded. "Defend your mistress." She raised her arms and enveloped each man in purple energy. They all grunted and squirmed, until they were forced onto all fours as their form began to change. A split second later, the men had turned into various animals, all of which growled at the heroes either through their razor-sharp teeth, tusk, claws, or horns.

"Aw, great. More animals." Comment Beacon as she, Batman, and Zatanna got into the fighting stance. The rabid animals each gave loud roars as they pounced at the heroes.

* * *

**Gotham Butchery**

The transformed Amazon continued to run throughout the slaughterhouse, desperately trying to find an exit. Finally, at long last, she found the gate that leads to the outside, and quickly pulled out all the stops. However what she failed to notice were the three butchers working at the assembly line.

"Whoa! Loose meat." One of them called out. Then they all flung themselves at the Diana, pinning her to the ground. The pig might've been strong enough to handle one large butcher, but three of them at once was simply too much.

"That'll do pig." Another butcher worked to bind the pig's legs while the other kept her pinned to the ground.

"Good job, boys." Said to the butcher who had previously chased her, after making sure the bonds were secure. Two butchers carried over to the conveyer belt.

"One plate of bacon of coming up." Announced one of the butchers, and both of them threw the pig onto the conveyer belt.

Diana squealed, and struggled all she could to break the bonds holding as the conveyer belt carried to an opening in the wall. Long strips of rubber blocked the view to the other. Therefore she couldn't tell what was behind it, but from the high-pitched whirring sounds coming from inside. The pig wanted to get as far away from it as she could.

* * *

**Myknonos**

The giant tiger had managed to pin Batman to the ground, and now was desperately trying to sink its teeth into the Dark Knight. The raging animal's saliva dripped onto Batman's chest as he used all of his strength to hold it at bay. With a loud grunt, the Detective kicked the tiger off of him. As the tiger landed a few feet away, more animal charged at Batman. Before they could trample him, Batman threw a series of smoke bombs to disorient the animals. As they lost consciousness, the Detective fled the scene by firing his grapple at some high vantage point.

Zatanna ducked as the Black Panther pounced onto the table behind her. However, she had no time to relax as she quickly ducked again when the animal made another attempt at her life. After landing on another table, the panther's yellow eyes seemed to bore into the magician's soul while it growled its sharp teeth at her. Then, out of nowhere, a bright blue bubble formed around the panther, and encased the giant feline. It slashed at the bubble was its claws, but it was proven to be useless as the bubble showed no sign of damage.

Zatanna turned behind her to see Beacon floating overhead, her hands outstretched and glowing with energy.

"Z, now's your chance." The Halfa said. Zatanna nodded and glared at the trapped panther, which was still clawing frantically at Beacon's energy barrier. The magician raised her wand, and gave it a wave.

"elbat mrof egac!"

At her command, the table underneath the animal moved and twisted as if it was being carried by an invisible wind. Then in a bright flash, the table transformed into a giant steel cage. It fell to the ground with a loud thud as Beacon released her hold on her shield. The Panther crashed onto the floor of the cage, and was knocked unconscious. Zatanna slouched over as she sighed with exhaustion, Beacon hovered herself lower to the ground, and turned to see Batman landing to the ground in front of the stage.

"Come on!" She called out, she then flew forward as Zatanna quickly followed her.

The two female heroes regrouped with Batman as he glared at Circe, who had been lying sideways in the air ever since the fight began.

"You three are beginning to remind me of Sisyphus after a hard day pushing his boulder up the mountain." She smirked while she rested her hand on the side of her face. "But me? I could keep this up all night." She finished as she floated upright, and raise her hands above her head. Purple energy began to spark as she prepared to take matters in her own hands.

Beacon and Zatanna anticipated the sorceress' attack. Batman, however, raised his arms to all of them.

"Wait," he instructed, "it seems that magic always has a price." Beacon eyed the Dark Knight curiously, having no idea where he was going with this. Circe must've been thinking along the same lines, because she frowned.

"And you point is?" Circe questioned

Batman lowered his arms; spoke in his usual calm voice. "What would I have to give to make you lift your spell on Diana?"

Beacon widened her eyes, then stalked right up to Batman's side, and grabbed his arm. "Batman, do you have any idea what you're doing?" she demanded. The Dark Knight turned to her for a moment, before gently lifting her hand off his arm with his own. Beacon's mouth formed a sad line as she took a step away from him. Then Batman focused his attention back to Circe.

"Well, now you're getting interesting." The sorceress remarked, sounding complete intrigued. She lowered herself in front of the three heroes, and walked closer to them. "I want something from you that's very precious. Something you've worked very hard to conceal." Beacon and Zatanna looked in fear between Batman and Circe. Him making a deal with the sorceress was bad enough, but Circe's demands sounded completely awful; Batman has worked to conceal numerous things throughout his life, Beacon couldn't even imagine what Circe wanted exposed.

"Something when gone," she continued, "you could never regain; _something _shattering." Batman's eyes began to narrow his eyes at Circe's words, until they were shut completely. Whether it was from shame, or something else, nobody could tell for sure.

* * *

A bright spotlight shined on the grand piano as Beacon started to play the slow song. A smile was etched on her face as she moved her fingers elegantly from key to key. However, she wasn't the main entertainment tonight. Further down the stage, another spotlight shined, perfectly filling the man with light as the beams were absorbed in his dark clothing.

_"Am I blue?" _Batman sang, _"Am I blue? Ain't these tears in my eyes telling you?"_

_"Am I blue? You'd be too, if each plan with your man done fell through."_

Over towards the back of the amphitheater, Zatanna grinned as her friends performed. Tears of joy streamed from her eyes as she listened to Batman's deep, yet completely mesmerizing voice. She pulled out a handkerchief and silently wiped her tears. Then she handed the cloth over to Circe, who stood next to her, and was trying very hard not to sob.

_"There was a time I was your only one." _Batman continued. "But now I'm the sad and lonely one…"

"_Beautiful._"Circe whispered.

"And you'll keep you part of the bargain?" asked Zatanna.

"A deal's a deal." Confirmed the sorceress, then she looked at the magician. "He can stop now."

Zatanna smiled and shook her head. "Not on your _life_."

* * *

**Gotham Butchery**

The pig continued to struggle as she moved through the rubber strips. A few seconds later, a bright light shined from the other side. As the light vanished, Wonder Woman burst through the wall and snapped the rope around her wrists. The four butchers looked at the Amazon in disbelief, and then in fear as they turned on the spot, and ran for their lives. When they reached the door and pulled the gate up, they were trampled by a stampeding herd of pigs.

As Wonder Woman stared at the swarm of pigs that fill the factory floor, her memory jogged back to the one that did this to her.

"_Circe._" She growled. Then Wonder Woman flew out of the factory, and soared through the sky.

* * *

**Myknonos**

Applause filled the amphitheater as Batman and Beacon walked of stage, their performance have granted them a standing ovation, and most of the audience has shed a plentiful amount of tears. The two met up with Zatanna, who grinned happily at them both.

"You two were _absolutely _wonderful," she complimented.

Beacon smiled and her cheeks turned red. "Thanks," she looked at Batman, "but _you _deserve most of the credit." Batman just silently stared at the Halfa.

"By the way," Zatanna began, causing Batman to look back at her. "Why'd you pick _that_ song?"

"Remember when Penguin tried to kidnap that singer?" asked the Dark Knight.

"Wicky whats-his-name?" Zatanna answered vaguely. "So?"

"I spent a month on stakeout," explained Batman. "must've heard that song a hundred times."

Beacon and Zatanna exchanged smiles to one another, and then turned back to the Detective. "Is there anything you can't do?" asked the magician.

"There's one thing I've never been very good at," Batman replied, "Saying thank you," he smiled and looked at both woman. "Both of you." Zatanna and Beacon's grin grew wide upon hearing Batman's words. The Halfa walked closer and wrapped her arms around him. Batman reacted slightly at the embrace.

"Okay, okay." He said a little uncomfortably. Beacon chuckled and let go.

"I think we should head back," the Halfa suggested. "Diana's gonna want an explanation."

She and Zatanna turned to head out when Batman stopped. "Wait," the two looked back at him curiously, "let's keep this between ourselves."

Both women raised an eyebrow. "So, let me get this straight," Beacon began, "You don't want Diana to find out what you did for her?"

Batman stared impassively at both of them, Beacon and Zatanna looked at each other for a moment, and then the magician shrugged. "My lips are sealed."

"Okay, I won't say anything either." Beacon confirmed.

* * *

**Watchtower**

"And truthfully, it's still pretty much of a blur to me." Wonder Woman shrugged as she and Batman walked along the hall of the Justice League headquarters. Zatanna and Beacon had decided to head back to their respective homes, and therefore didn't use the Watchtower's teleportation system. Wonder Woman turned to Batman. "Did I miss anything?"

Batman raised an eyebrow. "Not really," was his vague response. "The important thing is you're safe."

Wonder Woman smiled at the man. "Yeah," she said softly as she faced forward again. "Of course, that's not thing the only important thing."

Batman raised his eyebrow again, wondering what the Amazon meant by that. Although before he could ask, Wonder Woman began humming a familiar tune that made him stop in his tracks. Wonder Woman paid no attention to him as she continued to walk down the hall, rounded a corner, and disappeared from sight. What lingered, however, was the tune that echoed off the walls.

Batman stared blankly for a moment, before raising a corner of his mouth.

* * *

***Sigh* wow I've written a lot for this one. Over 10,000 words, but hey; it's worth it to do it for you guys. I personally liked this episode because it served as sort of a comic relief in the series. There were still action scenes mind you, but most the episode was focused on the relationships of the characters.**

**Another thing; I would like to state the obvious and say that I don't own "Am I blue". That honor belongs to Harry Akst and Grant Clarke. **

**Also I dropped a hint that Rachel's ex-girlfriend; Ariella was a practitioner of magic in a previous chapter, so to me it makes sense that Rachel would have learned something from her, but that doesn't mean Rachel is a magic-user.**

**If you haven't noticed, I've made changes to the last chapter, I made it so that it would tie in more of Rachel's old life. All thanks to Jaguarspot's tips. Hope you'll enjoy it. **

**Thank you once again for reading my story, and I'll see you all next time.**


	11. In-between Chapter 2

**I don't own anything DC or DP**

**Thank you all for following and favorite-ing. Now let's get on with it! **

Beacon of Justice

In-Between Chapter 2

**Gotham City**

"I don't think you have anything to worry about, Kara," Batgirl told her best friend as she sat on the Girl of Steel's shoulders while she carried them through the air. "Just take it easy and enjoy it."

"Mmm, I guess you're right," Supergirl complied, with a slight frown, "but I guess I just can't help feeling nervous."

"Well, of course you feel that way," stated Batgirl, "this is a new experience for you. It'll be okay though; Rach was here a couple of days ago, and she seemed pretty excited for this weekend."

Supergirl's mind drifted back to a few days ago, when Rachel Robertson, who also goes by the codename: Beacon, had told her about the mission she had the last time she was in Gotham. Although she left out some of the details, saying it's out of respect for Batman and Wonder Woman. As Supergirl continued to think about the Halfa, her thoughts carried her back to that night when Rachel had asked her out on a date on the coming Saturday, and then planted a soft kiss on her cheek before flying away. In all honesty, Supergirl was looking forward to it with all her heart, but she supposed that fear of the unknown was getting the better of her.

"What'd you think I should wear?" she asked, coming back into reality.

"Hm," Batgirl rubbed her chin, "Not really sure. Just whatever you feel like I guess."

Supergirl nodded in response.

"I mean, it can't be _that _much different than dating a guy." She stopped when she saw the beam of light flashed into the sky, lighting up at large portion of clouds above them.

"The Bat-signal…" she looked down at the Girl of Steel, "Kara, head to GCPD."

"What do I like, your chauffeur?" Supergirl retorted with a smug look.

"Just do it." Batgirl ordered exasperatedly.

After a big eye roll, Supergirl swerved in the air, and sped towards the source of the light.

* * *

**Gotham Police Department**

The slight breeze was enough to whip the two police officers' trench coats along as they stood on the rooftop. The man standing directly next to the large spotlight with a giant silhouette of a bat had white hair, thick, horned-rimmed glasses, and a thick white mustache. Directly behind him were a man and woman. The man was rather large, and wore a brown trench-coat. His black hair was compressed under his fedora hat, and his black eyes were taking everything in. The man just simply munched on a doughnut as he surveyed the buildings surrounding the office. The woman standing next to him had decided to brave the elements with just her long-sleeved black shirt, and the harness that attached her weapon to her body. She just focused her eyes directly on to the older man's back, ignoring the chewing sounds that were entering her ear drums.

The man in the front turned his head back. "Can you chew _any _louder, Bullock?" questioned James Gordon, commissioner of the Gotham PD.

"Sorry, Commish," Harvey Bullock replied, after swallowing a bite the deep-fried dessert. "The doughnuts in the office had gotten kinda stale."

"Then _why_ did you eat them?" asked Sonia Alcana, turning her eyes to glare at her partner. "It's completely disgusting."

"Can't argue with you there." a voice came from their right. The three officers whipped their heads to see Batgirl appearing out of the shadows, her cape folded around her body like a cloak. Following behind her closely was Supergirl, her brightly colored costume seemed completely out of place in the sea of dark and gray that was mostly Gotham city.

"Where're Batman and Robin?" asked Commissioner Gordon.

"Batman's on League Business," Was all Batgirl told them, "and Robin's out for a while." In reality, she had no idea where Batman was either; one minute he was in the cave, sitting at his computer. The next he sprung out of his chair, and told her to cover for him. Then he called the Watchtower for teleportation. Robin, on the other hand, wasn't exactly unavailable, but recently he contracted a terrible cold after an encounter with Mr. Freeze, and was confined to his bed-rest by Alfred, and in addition, Batman had forbidden him from going on missions until he got better. All In all, saying that the Boy Wonder was angry was an understatement.

"So, she called me for help." Supergirl spoke up.

"Oh, how I _love _it when history repeats itself." Bullock chimed in. "Let's hope you two will get to job better than last time." Sonia elbowed his large midsection, while Supergirl scowled at him. He referred to the time when she and Batgirl first teamed-up to fight Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Livewire. Back then, the big detective had criticized them for their inexperience.

"Hey! We took care of it." Supergirl exclaimed, with slight raise in volume. "Why don't you-"She stopped when Batgirl put an arm in front of her.

"Now what do you need from us, Commissioner?" Batgirl addressed her unknowing father. Even though she had spent years watching Batman talk to the Commissioner, it still made her uncomfortable to be so close, and yet so far away from her father.

"There have been several reports of robbery in pharmacies throughout Gotham." The Commissioner began.

"We know," Batgirl told the officers, "We've been working on it."

Sonia gave a small cough to call their attention to her, and then she pulled out a forensics' bag and handed it to Batman's protégé. "Here," she started, "We found this at the latest pharmacy that was hit."

Batgirl took the bag, and took a good look at the evidence. Inside the bag was a large dark green scale, Batgirl recognized the shape of that scale anywhere, but something about it didn't look right.

"Croc…" She whispered with narrowed eyes.

"When at least we know who we're after," Supergirl looked at the bright side.

Batgirl nodded, and gave the evidence back to Sonia. "We'll look into it."

With that, she turned on the spot, fired her grapple at another building, and then swung out into the night with Supergirl flying right beside her.

* * *

After they got a few blocks away from the Police Department. Batgirl climbed back onto Supergirl's shoulders and they soared high in the air again.

"So how bad is this Croc guy?" asked Supergirl.

Batgirl looked away for a second, her expression slightly grim. "He's a mutant that has given Batman a couple of hard times." She explained. "He was born with reptilian DNA, has super-strength, and can sustain himself underwater for long periods of time."

"Mmm, good thing you have me here to back you up, huh Babs?" Supergirl smirked at her friend.

"It certainly doesn't hurt," replied Batgirl with a smile, then her tone became serious again, "but something about that scale didn't look right."

Supergirl raised a curious eyebrow. "What was the matter with it?"

Batgirl looked at her friend. "It definitely _was _Croc's scale, but it was bigger and greener than his previous ones. "

"Mm, wonder how that happened." Supergirl pondered.

"Don't know, so we'll need to be extra careful." Batgirl advised. "Let's not get overconfident until we know what we're dealing with."

Supergirl nodded, and they flew in silence for a moment. Then she looked back at her best friend. "You got that from Rachel, didn't you?"

Batgirl met Supergirl's eyes, and shrugged. "Your girlfriend gave me some good advice on our last mission together." She had stayed true to her word about being more careful; with both of her usual partners preoccupied, she decided to call her best friend for help. Now seeing as how they were on their way to fight a metahuman, Batgirl was glad that she had done so.

Supergirl blinked at Batgirl's response, and then looked away as her cheek flushed red. Technically, Rachel wasn't her girlfriend yet, but the term was starting to grow on her. Her thoughts were interrupted when a sound entered her ears. She turned her head and saw a large warehouse building, using her enhanced visions; she saw a large figure smashing open several glass cases, and then rummaging for something.

"There," she pointed out. "Let's go." She sped off towards the building; Batgirl had to grab hold of her cape to prevent herself from falling off.

* * *

**Pharmaceutical Laboratory**

The large reptilian criminal known as Killer Croc grabbed a handful of small pill bottles, and threw them into his gym bag; which was already brimming with the same drugs. The criminal was so focused on his task that he failed to notice the two shadows stalk past him.

"Waylon Jones, aka Killer Croc." A woman's voice echoed from behind him. "It isn't like you to be stealing drugs." Croc paused for a moment, and then growled as he turned around, revealing a pair bright yellow eyes, with red slits for pupils, and no lips to cover his jaw-full of pointed teeth. The criminal surveyed the room, and saw nothing. Although before he turned back around, a figure landed in front of him.

"You?" he asked with narrowed eyes. His voice was hoarse and deep; it sounded more like growls than words. "Where's Bats?"

"Busy," Batgirl answered flatly, "so you're gonna have to make do with us." As if taking that as cue; Supergirl floated down for the ceiling, arms crossed, and landed next to Batgirl.

The Girl of Steel sniffed the air for a moment, and the waved her hand back and forth in disgust. "Ugh, man! When was the last time you took a shower?" she groaned.

Killer Croc gave another harsh growl at the two young heroes. Batgirl, however, just stared at the criminal impassively. "What are you doing here, Croc?" she demanded. "What are you after?"

Croc ignored her questions, and instead raised his tail. In a blur of motion, he slammed it down at the two heroes, both of which had just barely managed to avoid it. The blow was stronger than they had anticipated, because the tiles underneath the tail were completely shattered, and an indent was clear visible on the floor.

"Well, that's new." Batgirl commented. Croc's tail confirmed her suspicions; while the criminal still had a tall, athletic physique the last time she saw him, now his body seemed to have doubled, or maybe even tripled, in size. His muscle mass has also increased, and his posture had become more slouched.

"Yeah, just going through some changes right now," he answered as he wrapped his tail around a silo. Then yanked it from its hinges and threw it at the two heroes. Supergirl floated aside while Batgirl dove out of the way, as she did so, Batgirl threw a set of batarangs at Croc. All of them imbedded themselves halfway into the criminal's chest. There was a moment of silence where Croc just stared at the projectiles, and then he just lazily brushed them off his reptilian skin.

Before he could look up again, a white-gloved fist slammed into his jaw, and then another one knocked his head to the other side. He recovered before Supergirl could throw another punch, and threw one of his own. The Girl of Steel whipped her body aside, grabbed Croc's outstretched arm, and flipped him onto the ground. Then she cocked her fist back, prepare to drive it home on Croc's face. Croc realized what she was planning a second before she executed it. He wrapped his tail around Supergirl's throat, lifted her off the ground as she squirmed. Then Croc slammed her onto the floor, and threw her to the wall, sending her crashing through to the other side.

Batgirl pulled out a device from her utility belt, and aimed it at Croc. Two probes attached to wires shot out and struck the monster in the chest, then flows of electricity coursed throughout his body. After his initial roar of pain, Croc viscously yanked on the wires, causing Batgirl to gasp as she was sent flying towards him. Luckily, Batgirl recovered enough to flip herself in midair, and slam her boot into Croc's face. The attack was proven to be ineffective when Croc managed to grab hold of her with one of his large and incredibly rough hands.

Croc brought his face closer to the struggling crime-fighter, and growled at her. Batgirl could smell the putrid odors in his breath, and her eyes began to water at the stench. The next thing she knew, she felt herself being thrown through the air, and soon felt glass shattering behind her. Then she felt gravity pulling her downwards, steadily gaining speed. Instinctively, she pulled out her grapple and aimed at the building. Although before she fired it, there was a blur and a _whoosh_, and then she feel herself being lift up in the air.

Batgirl smiled and turned to her savoir. "Thanks, Supergirl."

"See? You _are_ lucky to have me here." Supergirl smiled back.

Batgirl chuckled slightly before turning her attention back to the building. "Croc's getting away, can you see him?"

Supergirl narrowed her eyes for a moment. "Got him." She carried Batgirl back inside, and then they both ran down the halls to catch up with the escaping criminal.

* * *

**Building's inventory department**

Killer Croc sped down the aisles as fast as he could; his gym bag full of pharmaceutical drugs was slung onto his back. As he ran, he picked up a familiar scent in the air. Although before he could pinpoint the source of the scent, Supergirl rushed in and slammed him into the wall. The Girl of Steel refused to give him breathing room as she quickly pummeled his face with her fists.

"Thanks for making me smell like a sewer, you jerk!" She snarled sarcastically. "I have a date tomorrow!" she grabbed Croc's shoulders and threw him across the large room. The force was so powerful; the gym bag slipped off his shoulders and fell to the floor. Croc slammed into a stack of plastic drums, all of which spilt their container of water, either on floor or on him as he laid there on his hands and knees.

"Batgirl, now!" Supergirl barked, her loud voice echoing of the walls. From out of nowhere, Batgirl fired another shot from her stun-gun at Croc. This time the electricity was intensified thanks to the water. Croc let out an agonizing scream, before slumping, face-first onto the floor. A mixture of smoke and steam swirled into the air as the two heroes stared at their quarry. They exchanged smiles, and then gave each other a hopping high-five.

"YES!" they both exclaimed.

A couple of minutes later, Batgirl and Supergirl exited the building, with the latter dragging the still unconscious Killer Croc. They weren't worried about the criminal making an attempt at escape, Batgirl had the foresight to have him restrained with an anesthetic injection and suggested securing his arms and torso, as well as his ankles with a set of I-beams. This, of course, was all courtesy of the Girl of Steel.

"GCPD should be here any minute to pick Croc up and take him back to Arkham." Batgirl told her best friend.

"You sure you don't need any more of my help?" Supergirl asked with a little concern in her voice.

Batgirl smiled and shook her head. "You've helped plenty enough tonight. Besides, you've got a big day tomorrow, you should go get ready."

"Okay," Supergirl nodded, and she wrapped her arms around the other girl. Then they separated, and Supergirl flew off into the sky, heading back to the Kent farm.

"Tell me how it goes!" Batgirl called out, forming a circle over her mouth with her hands to amplify the sound. For clarification, she saw Supergirl give a wave with her hand before she flew too far for the naked-eye to see.

* * *

**Miami, the next day**

Rachel stared into a full-length mirror as she put outfit after outfit in front of her. "Hmm…" she mused to herself. "Yeah, I'm gonna have to try each one on."

On a normal day, Rachel wouldn't spend so much of her day deciding on what to wear. However the fact that she has been pulling clothing after clothing out of her closet shows that today was not, by any means, a normal day.

_But I don't have all day! Kara will be here in a couple of hours. _She thought hastily. The Halfa rubbed her chin as the gears in her brain started to work on a solution. Then she snapped her fingers, and focused her mind. Three duplicates of her faded into reality, and looked at her patiently. Afterwards, the duplicates each grabbed an outfit and started to put them on.

After a few minutes, Rachel's duplicates stood on line, and waited for the original to inspect them. As the Halfa walked down the line, she leaned in close to each one of her duplicates, studying every inch of their outfits.

"Mm-mm." she shook her head on the first duplicate's outfit. The duplicate's shoulders fell, and she made a pitiful, pouting expression. Rachel walked up to the next duplicate, and repeated the process. "Mm, maybe…" she pondered. The duplicate grinned and pumped her fists towards her body. Then she turned and quickly went to grab another outfit. Rachel walked up to her third duplicate, and had to squeeze her eyes shut and reopen them to make sure they were working correctly. "What is _this_?" she demanded. Her duplicate looked at the outfit she had on, then turned back at her original, and shrugged.

"You bought all of it." The duplicate blankly remarked.

"I would never wear them in this combination." She ranted. Then she grunted loudly and looked away from the duplicate as she crossed her arms. "It's like you don't even _know _me." The duplicate blinked for a second, and then threw her arms up as she stalked away to grab another outfit.

While she had put a lot of thought into her date with Kara, Rachel admittedly still felt anxious; she just wanted everything to go smoothly. The only experience the Halfa had with dates had been with Ariella, and even though they were a blast while they lasted, they've only had a handful of them.

After three more rounds of inspections, Rachel finally made a decision on her outfit. She twirled in front of the mirror as she took in the red sleeveless blouse, white denim jean shorts, and silver flats.

"Perfect." She commented with a bright smile.

She turned her head to the door a second before there was a knock. She took a deep breath and moved towards the door. She pushed the handle down, and pulled the door open. Upon seeing who was standing there, the Halfa expressed a wide, blissful grin.

Standing at her door was Kara. She wore a short light blue denim skirt, and a white shirt underneath a light-blue denim jacket. She didn't have any make-up; her natural look was perfect in Rachel's opinion. The Halfa flung her arms around Kara, and after a slight hesitation, she returned the hug as well.

"Wow, Kara, you look beautiful." Rachel admired, when they broke apart.

Kara smiled and blushed at the compliment. "Thanks," she replied, tucking her hair behind her ear. Then, she too admired Rachel's change of clothing; the sleeveless blouse and short jeans made the smoothness of her skin and the definition in her muscles very clear. Kara supposed that training for ten years would've had that kind of effect on Rachel's body. "You look beautiful too, Rachel."

Rachel widened her grin, and her cheeks also turned pink. "Thank you." They stared at each other for a moment before she grabbed her purse and hung it across her shoulders.

"So, you ready to go?" she asked as she stepped out of her house

"You bet," Kara answered excitedly, but then her expression grew curious, "uh, so, where are exactly are we going?"

"Don't worry, I have it all planned out," she said with the strictest confidence, "and they're all within walking distance."

Kara nodded and the two girls started to walk down the street. Before too far though, Rachel stopped.

"Rach? What's the matter?" Kara asked, concerned.

"I almost forgot," Rachel reached into her purse and pulled out a black compact, the same compact that Clark Kent had given her all those months ago. She opened it, and started to apply the makeup over her scar. A couple of seconds later, Rachel stowed the compact back into her purse, and turned to Kara. "I can't have people making the connection." Kara merely shrugged as they continued walking again.

* * *

Their walk ended when they arrived at the restaurant a couple of minutes later. It was nice place; it was quiet, and had a great view of the beach out of its many large windows. As they sat at their table, they talked about various topics, including Kara helping Batgirl in Gotham. The Halfa propped her elbows onto the table, and rested her chin on her interlocked fingers, taking in every word.

"So that Bullock guy's been giving you a hard time too, huh?" The Halfa inquired.

"Yeah, I remember watching him call Babs and I rookies on TV," Kara shrugged, "but to his credit; he did say that we showed potential."

"And judging from how you took Croc down," Rachel added as she placed her hand over Kara's, making the blonde to look at her blushingly, "it just goes to show how much you've improved." Kara smiled at the Rachel's words, and Rachel happily smiled back. For the rest of their meal, they ate, talked, and laughed; both girls were simply enjoying each other's company.

* * *

After the restaurant, Rachel took Kara to the ice cream parlor that she'd always made the effort to stop by. Kara had just ordered her dessert plain, but after Rachel had gotten hers, she added a quite a few condiments to her ice cream.

"You weren't kidding when you said you really love ice cream." Kara remarked jokingly, while they sat and ate at their booth.

"Yeah, well," Rachel began after pressing her spoon between her lips and pulling it out. "It's always been a tradition of mine to have a scoop or two after a mission, or to celebrate some special occasion."

"Ah" Kara nodded.

"But the thing is," the Halfa continued, "I didn't use to add toppings to my ice cream, I just picked it up recently."

"Oh?"

Rachel's eyes fell slightly before she pointed to the various toppings on her dessert with her spoon. "See, Robin loved his with caramel, Jonah preferred his with sprinkles, and A-Ariella always loved to have marshmallows with hers."

Kara stared the other girl in amazement. Apparently Rachel had been so close to her loved ones that she'd even kept onto something as minute as what ice cream toppings they liked as an honor in their name. "That's… that's… wow." Kara couldn't even find the right words to describe how she felt. "Y-you must've really loved them." She finished after clearing her throat.

Rachel smiled before speaking again. "With all my heart, but I'm not thinking about that tonight; because tonight is about us."

"Us." Kara repeated.

* * *

**Miami Beach**

The two girls left the parlor and made their way back to the beach. By now, the sun was beginning to make its descent. They walked along the shoreline with their shoes in their hands while the water washed back and forth underneath their feet.

As they walked, Kara thought about how her life had changed. She remembered all that time she'd spent talking about boys with Barbara, she'd always thought that she would eventually fall for a man that'll make her whole. Never had she imagined that it would come to this. The Kryptonian reached over and held the Halfa's hand; their fingers had previously brushed against each other a few times, but nobody held on until now. Rachel looked Kara in the eye for a moment, before smiling and intertwining their fingers.

The girls walked hand-in-hand along the beach for several more seconds, and then Kara broke the silence. "Come on, Rach," she said as she pulled her along.

"Where're we going?" asked the Halfa, confused.

Rachel got her answer when Kara led them to the side of a tall skyscraper, then she turned to the Halfa.

"Can you make us invisible so people won't see?" she asked.

Rachel raised an eyebrow. Then tighten her grip on Kara's hand, she and Kara vanished from sight. The Halfa felt herself being lifted into air, and when they finally touched down on the top, Kara set them down on the skyscraper's helipad. Rachel made them both visible again when she landed onto the platform.

"I thought we could watch the sunset from a higher place." Kara admitted.

Rachel grinned at her and nodded. The two girls walked over and leaned on the railing, neither letting go of each other's hand. They stared mesmerizingly as the large glowing orb continued to makes its descent towards the horizon, filling the sky with its orange-red glow.

* * *

When the sun had set half-way into the horizon, Rachel thought of another idea, sadly, she had to let of Kara's hand to reach into her purse. Kara had no idea what the Halfa was up to as she just watched her pull out her phone and a mini-speaker. Then Rachel walked over the center of the helipad, and set her devices down. She tapped the screen on her phone, and the sound of an acoustic guitar sound began to ring out of the speaker.

Kara still had no idea where this was going as Rachel approached her and extended her hand.

"May I have this dance, Miss Kent?" asked the ghost-girl.

Kara blinked and looked between the Rachel's hand and eyes for a moment. "B-but I don't-"

"That's okay," Rachel interrupted with a warm smile, "just let me lead."

Kara returned the smile and slowly accepted Rachel's hand. After Rachel had pulled them to the center of the platform, she rested her other hand on Kara's waist while the latter held onto her arm, then as the words of the song began to ring out, both girls started to move in a simple waltz.

_Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it. _

_I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted. _

_I fell right through the cracks. _

_Now I'm trying to get back…._

"You know, I never expected that my life would lead to this." Kara confessed as they whirled and twirled around the helipad. "Babs and I would always talk about boys, and… I'd always expected that I would fall for one."

Rachel simply met Kara's eyes. "Life's funny like that, isn't it?"

"I guess," Kara answered, "but after today, I get that it doesn't matter one way or the other."

"I'm glad to hear it." the Halfa smiled. "Now dip."

"What-"Kara let out a small gasp when she felt her body being leaned backwards, instinctively she clutched onto Rachel's hand and arm. The Halfa winced slightly at the Kryptonian's vise-like grip as she lowered her until the tips of her blond hair brushed the platform.

_…And nothing's gonna stop me but divine intervention. _

_I reckon, it's again my turn. _

_To win some or learn some…_

"N-next time," Kara panted slightly, "can you give me more time to react, please?"

"Sorry," Rachel said, with a small laugh, "and thank you."

Kara looked at Rachel in confusion. "For what?"

Rachel's eyes fell slightly. "When I first got here; I was ready for everything to just…_stop_." she pulled the Kryptontian back to her feet, and led Kara in a twirl, "but what I didn't know, was that I would find that someone to help me live on." She pulled Kara closer until their faces were merely inches apart; Kara had to put her hand on Rachel's chest in order to prevent their heads from colliding with each other. For a minute that seemed like an hour, the two girls stared at each other, pale blue eyes meeting the emerald green ones. Rachel felt the temperature in her cheeks rise as her heart pounded against her ribcage. Then after mustering up her courage, she brushed a loose lock of hair from Kara's face, and leaned in closer. It only took a split second for their lips to meet each other.

"And I believe with all my heart," Rachel continued, "that someone is _you_."

Kara stared at her, completely at a loss for words. Rachel had just told her how special she was to her, and she had proved that point earlier with a kiss. For the Halfa to say that Kara was that special someone that guided her out of the deep, dark abyss…

Kara smiled as she felt the tears began to form in her eyes. Rachel's eyes began quivering as well upon seeing Kara's expression. The Kryptonian held onto the back of the Halfa's head, feeling her soft brown hair between her fingers. Then she pulled Rachel closer, and they kissed once again. They wrapped their arms around each other as Kara lifted them into the air; her strength was more than enough to hold them both up indefinitely.

* * *

Even after the sun had long been replaced the moon and stars, and long after the song had ended. Rachel and Kara just hovered in the air over the helipad, rotating in place ever so slightly. At that moment, all that mattered to the two of them was each other, they tuned everything else out. Well, everything, but a set of words.

_I'm yours._

Unfortunately, unlike Kara and her ghost-form, Rachel still needed air. If she didn't get any soon, she would be on the verge of blacking out. They broke off the kiss, and gently pressed their foreheads together. Both girls gazed into each other's eyes as they worked to catch their breath; Rachel from oxygen deprivation, Kara from giddiness.

"We should head back." The Halfa suggested.

"Okay," Kara nodded.

* * *

After retrieving her phone and mini-speaker, Rachel and Kara used the cover of darkness to fly back to Rachel's home. After phasing both of them through the roof, the two girls found themselves in the room that housed the grand piano. After Rachel let go of Kara, she quickly clutched her arms and shivered violently.

"Sorry," Rachel apologized with a light chuckle. Then she pulled the Kryptonian against her body. Instantly, Kara felt her body heat return, and she ceased her shivering a few seconds later.

"It's okay." She whispered.

"So, did you have a good time?"

Kara looked into Rachel's eyes again. "No."

Rachel blinked in a mixture of hurt and confusion.

"I had a _great_ time." Kara finished with a gentle smirk. "We should do this again."

Rachel stared at Kara, before smiling. "You can bet on it."

They closed their eyes and pressed their lips together again. For both of them, tonight was no less that absolutely perfect. Everything seemed to have fallen into just the right places.

"By the way," Rachel began, after a thought crossed her mind. "Now that you're out of the closet, how are you going to break the news to everyone?"

Kara widened her eyes, besides Barbara, and maybe Ma Kent, and from what Rachel had told her: Batman and Wonder Woman, hardly anyone else knew about _any _of this. "I-I have no idea." She admitted. "I've never even thought about it."

"Well, you don't have to worry so much about it," the Halfa assured, "you can just tell them when you're ready."

With their discussion now turning serious, Rachel and Kara separated from each other's embrace. Kara was still deep in the thought. "Yeah I guess so," she turned to Rachel, "how did you break the news?"

Rachel's eye turned to the ceiling as she thought for a moment. "Well, where I come from, no one really cares anymore." She explained. "So, my friends and family happily accepted it; they were just happy that I was happy."

Kara grinned at Rachel and nodded, finally feeling reassured. Then her expression became serious again. "Okay, now aside from that, we should discuss a few things before we go any further."

Rachel raised an eyebrow curiously. "Okay, what'd you have in mind?"

"First, seeing how Clark is, we're going to have to tell him about our relationship first, and then we're going to have to tell him everything that goes on in our dates. That's kind of the _law _he laid down."

"Right then, give the details to Clark." Rachel nodded.

Kara nodded in return before continued. "Second, when we're on the Watchtower, we'll have to focus on work, we shouldn't get too… _friendly_. We should behave like professionals."

"So, no fraternizing." Rachel paraphrased.

"Exactly." Kara confirmed. "Thanks for understanding, Rachel."

"No problem, Kara." Rachel replied. "This isn't my first rodeo, you know."

"Are you comparing me to a _bull_?" accused the Kryptontian.

Rachel laughed. "No, of course not." She reassured. "For one thing: you're way stronger than a bull."

"You bet I am." Kara boasted with a smirk.

Rachel let out another laugh. "Now," she continued, moving towards her piano, and sitting down at the bench, "have a seat." She patted the spot next to her.

"Why?" Kara asked innocently.

"Because I'm gonna play you a song, silly." Rachel answered matter-of-factly.

Kara sat down next to the Halfa as she lifted the cover over the keyboard. Then Rachel took a deep breath, and started to play. Normally the sound would be sweet even in a huge, packed, theater. However, thanks to her super-hearing, the sweetness was amplified significantly, but the sound wasn't painful to her enhanced ears.

Kara leaned her head on Rachel's shoulder as the Halfa continued to press down on the keyboard. Both of them were lost in the music. What a way to end a perfect night.

* * *

**Well, well, well. Things have officially started for the two lovely ladies. But they do know that they can't keep their relationship a secret, I'm not trying to go for a Romeo and Juliet thing here. However this does raised a concern; how is big Boy Scout Superman gonna react when he finds out his little cousin has started dating a girl? We'll just have to wait and see.**

**For those of you that don't know, the fight between Croc, Batgirl and Supergirl was inspired by the fairly recent "Son of Batman" animated movie. I thought it was great, and it was awesome to finally see Damian animated in a film. **

**On another note, thank you once again Jaguarspot for proofreading. It is amazing and a little embarrassing to realize how many things I've messed up. It's real nice to have another set of eyes out there. By the way, thank you for the suggestions.**

**Now I'm sure you know that I am _not _Jason Mraz. So "I am yours" doesn't belong to me. I just thought it was a great song to use for the slow dance.**

**With all that said and done; I will see you all next time. If you have any comments, you know where to found me, not really, but y'know… **


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